Why Lifeguarding is the Best Job for a Teenager
A lesson that will surely last a lifetime
Growing up, the one thought that is in the back of every teenager's head as they near the end of their high school days. For optimists, they see this as a chance to jump right into life and find out who they are as a person, but for most, jumping right into life can be a daunting and quite scary task.
Should I go to college? What college should I go to? If I go to college what should my career path be? If I don’t go to college will I still be able to make a living? These are but a few of the questions that many students face around the ages of 16 to 18. Teens begin to make some very important decisions during this point in their lives and it is the beginning of their emergence into adulthood. For most teens, the first step they take is acquiring a part-time job.
Most teens who learn how to drive around the age of 16 will most likely begin to look for their first part-time jobs as well. Being the cashier at your local grocery store or learning how to bus tables sounds like a wonderful first job but for me and many other teens, we somehow found the idea of being a lifeguard to be a wonderful start. And for many of us, we learned 3 very important things during that time.
Accountability
Personally, I thought nothing of it. I thought lifeguarding would be fun and super easy as a way to begin earning money for myself. However, what I did not know is that I was plunging myself into quite a large task. The training was pretty standard, we were tested on our physical abilities and then trained in basic life-saving techniques. We were taught CPR and how to handle certain types of emergencies that could occur throughout the park. But the first sign of trouble for me was when the head guards voice turned extremely serious during our training. We were told that we would be watching over the lives of people and that we were held accountable for the safety of all people in our reach. For all of us training that day it was a wake-up call.
It may not be the first time in our lives that we would have responsibility, but it was the first time we would be holding a responsibility of this caliber. Working as a lifeguard was no easy task especially on a nice day. Good weather outside just meant there are more people that could drown in the water. During most guard’s first days, they would most likely assume that most people wouldn’t drown since going to a water park meant you had to have some kind of ability to swim. But there are many strange people in the world and seeing a rescue at a water park was all too common for some of us.
A lifeguard was accountable for all the people located inside of their zone, an area that they watch over keenly. We had to be ready to jump in at any time and we had to be aware of signs that could show someone is drowning. It was our responsibility to make sure that they were safe, and for a 16-year-old teen that was quite a large and important task.
Confidence
The first time a lifeguard has to jump in the water for a rescue is no easy task. Most people would say that they feel scared or nervous on the first day of their job but for a lifeguard that was quite the understatement. When you realize that someone is drowning it takes a lot of confidence to jump into the water and save a person. Most people would freeze and follow the bystander effect where everyone would watch because they do not want to break the norm. While some people would point and yell that someone is drowning, it is up to the lifeguard to find the confidence to jump in and do what needs to be done.
For most of us, the first time we jump into the water will always be the most difficult, but every rescue afterwards gets easier. Confidence is an important trait that is not explicitly taught in school. For a teenager, learning to be confident in one’s actions sets up a sturdy foundation for success. No one is confident 100 percent of the time but being able to wield confidence in every situation to your advantage will surely help in life.
Leadership
Being a lifeguard meant that you were a figure of authority. If you told someone not to do something or how to do something they would listen to you no matter what the age gap was. In the water park, a lifeguard was the leader and even adults listened to what you had to say.
For many teens, telling adults what to do or telling them that they are doing something wrong was just something that they were not used to. For all their lives, teens listened to their parents and teachers and did what they told them to do, but it was never the other way around. For me, it was the first time that I was in charge of something bigger than just a small school project or a club meeting. This change in leadership position taught me a new perspective that I began to weave into my own life. Being a real leader for the first time showed me what it was like to be in charge and how I should act to effectively assert my thoughts and ideas. People began to listen to me more and respected my opinions all just because I learned how to conduct myself in front of other people.
Being a lifeguard was more than just a job. It taught me so many important lessons that I am able to apply to my own life and enhance it in every way. Lifeguarding taught me to be confident in my actions and to always take that step forward even when no one else will. But most importantly, it taught me that the driving force for all of these actions was because I can feel the responsibility of my own actions. Everything happens for a reason and I firmly believe that the actions we take today will help us to become a better person than yesterday.
