We’ve all seen those summer movies. A group of friends decides to work at (usually) the beach so they can be outside, enjoy the sunrays and have the BEST SUMMER EVER. Yeah, maybe not. I’ve worked as a full time outdoor lifeguard, swim coach and swim lessons instructor for the past three summers (about to work my fourth) and while there are definitely benefits, outdoor summer jobs are nowhere near as glamorous as the movies make them out to be.
Fellow swim coaches by the pool in Sun Prairie, WI. Left to Right:Caleb Meixner (Junior UW Stevens Point), Natalie Budde (Freshman UW Platteville), Konrad Plomedahl (graduate UW Eau Claire), Taylor Ehlert (freshman, UW Eau Claire), Hamline sophomore Skyler Kane, Hamline sophomore Bryce White; Photo cred: Jamie Ehrler
Suns Out, Funs Out (of the Question):
Okay this might be a little cynical, but I’m talking about those super hot days. If you work near water, EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER will be at your place of work, enjoying themselves. It’s a great day for them, but unbearable for you. I’ve had a coworker pass out on the guard stand from heat exhaustion. Don’t get me wrong, those days where it’s in the 70s are great but the more the temperature creeps up, the more you’ll want to give up.
Skyler Kane (Sophomore) during the summer of 2017, showing her very visible swimsuit tanlines. Photo cred: Amy Kane
Tans and Tanlines:
Yes, if you work outside in the summer, you will get a tan and people who don’t work outside will tell you that they wish they had your tan. Even my pasty self tans, even if people don’t realize until they see my tan lines and realize how pale I started, which brings me to the downside. Tanlines. For many this means farmer tans and watch tans, for me it meant spaghetti straps and a circle on my back. This makes fun beach days a little awkward. Not to mention…
Sunscreen, sweat, chlorine, oh my!:
Sunscreen WILL become your best friend. However, if you’re as pasty as me you will burn no matter how much you use in the beginning of the summer. I put on SPF 50 every 45 minutes and I still was lobster red at the end of June. By the end of August, though, I was putting it on maybe twice during a 10 hour work day and that was only if it was particularly sunny. So, your skin does get used to the sun after a while, which could be considered a bonus.
Weather Permitting:
The weather is both your ally and your enemy. For me, if a certain amount of people didn’t come to our pool, we closed early. If the weather was just absolutely trash, we didn’t open at all (although they were extremely reluctant to do this, and at several times tried to open for 15 minutes only to have to close for the day due to weather). Random days off were awesome in small doses, but it’s a blow to the paycheck if it happens too often.
Guilt Free A/C:
Look, I don’t want to say that outdoor jobs are the WORST because they’re not. You get to enjoy being outside when it’s nice. Also a bonus: you never have to feel guilty if you want to spend your off time lounging around your house even if it’s a beautiful day. You spend plenty of time outside and you deserve to sit on your butt and watch Netflix.
That being said, if you’re a broke college student, get what job you can at the highest pay you can. Just don’t go into any outdoor summer job thinking it’s going to be as great as the movies.