When choosing a summer job, lifeguarding never came to mind until I saw a little flyer around Kennesaw's campus. I don't really know what sparked an interest for me.
I mean, I already had 2 jobs and was more than busy, but next thing I knew I was calling the number attached to that little flyer. Now...here I am 3 months later in the midst of probably my favorite job, even with it's ups and downs. Now just to clear things up, just because there are pros to lifeguarding doesn't mean I like the job any less.
Everything comes with ups and downs, and lifeguarding has a few of its own:
1. You get paid to get a nice tan.
Pro: I mean, not that getting tan is your job, but trust me. When you've been working 40+ hours at the pool, a tan comes whether you want it to or not. When you go back to school in August, I can almost guarantee you that you'll be darker than all of your friends.
2. Tan lines.
Con: Depending on what company you work for, you could get stuck with wearing a one piece like I did at the beginning of the summer. Even with a two piece, I have what looks like a sports bra tan. I guess if lifeguarding gave you nice tan lines it would be too good to be true.
3. You get to be around kids all day.
Pro: I really like kids, and so getting to watch them every day is always fun. Something about kids just makes me really happy, especially when I've had a bad day. Plus, nothing is better than watching little kids finally learn how to swim.
4. You have to yell at kids every now and then.
Con: If you like kids, then this one could be tough for you. It's not always sunshine and rainbows at the pool, and kids aren't exactly the best listeners all the time. It's always the worst when you have to blow your whistle at the same kid every 5 minutes for doing exactly what you told him not to do just a second ago.
5. When thunder roars, go indoors.
Pro: Ah, since we are dealing with an outdoor job, thunder usually means you get a decent 30 minute break from guarding the pool.Trust me, on hot days in Georgia, it's exactly the kind of thing that you need.
6. Arguing with patrons about whether it was actually thunder.
Con: Not saying that this happens a lot...but there's always those people who give you a weird look when you clear the pool for thunder and say "uhm that was a plane". This happens a lot more than you would think.
7. You get to jump in the pool during adult swim.
Pro: With the exception of when we are in the midst of July and the pool is like bath water, jumping in after a rotation is the best feeling in the world, hands down. I mean it really doesn't get much better than that.
8. Maintenance on the pool.
Con: Not that this has to be done a whole lot, and depending on your company you might not even have to deal with it, but I am responsible for making sure the pool looks clean and that means...drum roll please...vacuuming! You've never gotten a quality work out until you've vacuumed an entire pool...let me tell you.
9. In-service days.
Pro/Con: I couldn't really decide how to group this category. A lot of pool maintenance companies will give you in-service days to brush up on your skills, which is a good idea. You also get paid for it. However, you do have to wake up earlier. I guess that is my only complaint so we can just put this as a Pro, after all.
10. The rewarding experience that comes from it.
Pro: All in all, lifeguarding is a rewarding experience in the fact that people look up to you to keep everything running smoothly. Every now and then, you have a parent come up to you and say they really appreciate all that you do, and it just makes it all worth it.
