I am a swim instructor/lifeguard during the summer months, the always needed time off of school. Throughout the years I have learned some valuable lessons from this job, and hopefully they apply to you too. They are:

1. Budgeting

I was an athlete during high school without free time for a job, so my first experience with earning and spending my own money started after graduating with this job. I learned that even though you get your paycheck every two weeks, that doesn’t mean you have to spend it, or even that you should spend it. It is better to save your hard earned money for a time when you actually need it. Don’t spend your money on something unnecessary, and do not spend it all in one place. You will regret it.

2. Time Management

When finals end and school gets out, all I want to do is go do fun, summer things. I want to move out of my dorm, go to the beach, and hang out with friends and family. But then reality hits. The first thing I actually do after moving home every school year is to go to work training (it’s always the weekend I move home, ew!). I usually work around forty hours a week, and this is usually broken into five to six days a week. My work schedule only lasts eight weeks, so I do have some free summer time, but during those eight weeks it is hard to find time to have fun, and even relax. Having a job that requires a large time-commitment has taught me to prioritize my life, so that I can do the things that are important to me in the short amount of time that I have.

3. Customer Service

As a swim instructor I work with kids constantly, but I also work with their parents. Although my main goal is to teach the child how to swim, I am also trying to keep the parents happy at all costs. This can make things difficult, especially when you have multiple kids in a class, and multiple parents requesting certain things for their children. Sometimes it is difficult to deal with unreasonable parents, and working with them is a learning experience. Similarly, I have to talk to many adult swimmers during the lifeguard aspects of my job. Circumstances can get overwhelming and people are not always understanding, so learning to work under pressure while trying to please a group of people is training me to be more understanding of others and to look at the situational effects of things

4. Teamwork

While swim instructing, I work with a staff of around 10 other high school and college-aged kids. This year, I am working with a great group of people, but unfortunately that is not always the case. Occasionally, especially after working with people for a couple of weeks, we can start to get on each other’s nerves, causing tension in the workplace. Working in this environment has taught me to put aside my differences and to focus on the task at hand in different scenarios. I have also really learned throughout the years how to work collaboratively with all different kinds of people, including teaching swim classes with others that I may not get along with.

5. FUN!

Last but not least, I am thankful for this job because I have learned that you can find fun in any setting you are in. NO matter how hot/cold it is, how tired we are, how stressful and chaotic the situation is, or how you feel in the moment, I have always been able to find fun throughout my time as a swim instructor. I know now that every situation has something positive in it and you have to take advantage of every moment. Also, try not to complain too much, because the circumstances can always get worse…trust me.