old sack of shit advice to the kiddos: if you love the actual act of skating more than being immersed in the culture, never go full time skateshop. working there for a bit is fun, or doing your own thing altogether can be awesome.
i can't recommend it as a career choice if you don't own your workplace or are not organized like a syndicate. there are probably great shops when it comes to how they treat their employees, but even that sometimes is not enough. i was super immersed for most of my 20s and my actual skating suffered immensely. full time shop life, especially when the shop runs well and has customers all day and is also doing online retail, you'll be wrecked. i've seen so many people stop skating altogether and trying to keep a front up after coming in as skaterats and then burning out on the culture and also the amount of work.
take care of yourselves. retail as a whole is something i wouldn't recommend as a job or career altogether unless collecting lots of superficial connections is your thing. be prepared that most reps and even customers that tried to become your best friends will be puzzled when you meet and greet them in the streets mere months after you stopped being the cool guy at the shop that can give out discounts.
on the other hand it can also be superrewarding. last year i met a few dudes that have grown up in the last few years i hadn't seen them and they thanked me for being cool to them at the shop when they were kids. that time i was the guy being puzzled, haha. all these former kiddies are adolescent rippers now. i'm a little proud they remember me as an actual cool shop dude and not someone giving off backhanded vibes.
one last thing: owners will try to exploit your passion for skating, they will take your skateboarding time, convert it to work and will try to make you think that that is as valuable, when all you wanted was some fun shifts and a shop discount. this is why i say just go for one shift a week if it's fun, but don't rely on it. always keep more passion for the actual act of skating than the act of peddling them for someone else. sounds easy enough, but i can't stress this enough.
EDIT: forgot a *not at a crucial spot. being organized like a syndicate or coop would be a sick way to run a skateshop or just as a way to supply the local scene.