10 Reasons Why Being A Lifeguard Is Awesome

Whether you’ve been a lifeguard before or you are considering venturing into this thrilling field, you are well aware of how important being a lifeguard is. You will acquire training, earn certification, and when it comes down to it, you will be responsible for the lives of others. It’s a serious job, but it’s also some serious fun – who else can say they work at the beach? Saving others’ lives is as close as one can get to being a superhero. Aside from being every kid and beach-goer’s superhero, here are 10 reasons why being a lifeguard is the best job in the world.

As a lifeguard you will:

1. Save a life

According to the International Life Saving Federation, lifeguards make about 1,000,000 rescues per year. While it seems like we’re restating the obvious, a lifeguard’s number one priority is saving his or her swimmers, which is a HUGE deal!

2. Make someone’s day

As a lifeguard, you have the privilege of being a role model to many children. Beach-loving kids will look up to you as their protector and even their friend, depending on how much one-on-one time you can get.

3. Burn some calories

Doctor says you need to burn off some calories? You might want to seriously consider life-guarding before hitting the gym. Swimming burns 650 calories per hour – that’s more than walking or biking does.

4. Learn CPR

As one of the requirements needed to obtain lifeguard certification, CPR is much more than just a skill for the job. Knowing CPR can save lives in emergency situations. Not to mention, going through the training provides eye-opening insight to an array of “red flag” health situations that allows you to prevent emergencies before they even happen.

5. Develop public relations, customer service, and conflict-resolution skills

Lifeguards are expected to present their facilities to the public in a professional manner. When interacting with people, their actions must promote an atmosphere of trust and goodwill. Reaching these expectations in a job that requires you to work in both emergency and non-emergency situations will help to foster your own sense of professionalism.

6. Have amazing co-workers

Avengers, anyone? Justice league? Yes! Those are actually just a bunch of lifeguards in swimsuits. Okay, maybe not. But when you are life-guarding, you work with a large group of like-minded people, all of whom have one goal – saving lives!

7. Get your daily dose of the outdoors

Fresh air increases brain function, according to Abigail Wise from the Huffington Post. Other than increasing alertness, being outside also boosts creativity and concentration skills. As a lifeguard, you’ll spend an average of 20-30 hours in the sun, so get used to the positive side affects of it!

8. Flexible hours

Many young adults find themselves in binds when trying to balance work, school, and play. One of the great things about life-guarding is the flexible hours. This job is notorious for catering to high-school and college students, which makes it easier to juggle all of your activities.

9. Be a part of history

As a lifeguard, you will be joining a profession that has existed for more than 200 years. Considering the fact that our country was founded 240 years ago, we’d say this is a job you’ll be proud to be a part of.

10. End each day with a smile

Packing up your gear and waving goodbye to the ocean is a terrific way to end your day. Every day is different in the realm of life-guarding, and you’ll certainly have fascinating stories to tell.

As you can see, being a lifeguard is an important job. Saving lives is a huge component of the job, and you’ll also enjoy all of the aforementioned benefits. Whether you decide to join the field of life-guarding or you’ve simply earned a new respect for lifeguards, we hope you’ve earned some insight on all that they do for the community. As one lifeguard put it, “life pays the lifeguards just for being awesome.”╚

For future information about lifeguarding and related industry topics, visit www.lifeguardtimes.com.