Lifeguard

Being a Lifeguard is serious work. You have the weighty responsibility of keeping swimmers safe both indoors and outdoors.

Where you can Lifeguard is depending on where you live, you can spend your days at the beach, river, lake, or local pool. You can work at a water park, hotel, resort, school, country club, or on a cruise ship. Regardless of where you are a Lifeguard, focus is always your number one priority. Every minute of your shift is spent scanning large groups of swimmers, pinpointing potential hazards, and ensuring that swimmers follow the rules.

Water can be dangerous, so you work to minimize accidents and injuries. And not just drowning, but also slips, falls, and bumps on the head. You’re quick to blow your whistle when swimmers are in an area they shouldn’t be, run around the pool edges, hang on the ropes, roughhouse in a dangerous way, or dive into shallow water.

When an accident does happen and someone gets hurt, you’re quick to respond. You clear the pool and tend to the injured person. You are first aid-certified, so you know when to call for help. And you’re ready with everything from a band-aid to a CPR kit.

This is often a seasonal job, and can be a great launching point into other water safety jobs. You can become a Swimming Instructor or Pool Manager, or you can move into a military career with the Navy or Coast Guard.