Lifeguards
Lifeguarding is almost always underrated. Everyone thinks it is the easiest job in the world because all we do is sit, but that’s the hardest part. If nothing is going on staying motivated is extremely hard. Picture this, sitting in your room with no phone no electronics at all watching a hamster run in its wheel for an hour then you get a 30-minute break. Do that for about 4-5 hours straight a day and tell me how you feel after.
Not only that but the training to become a lifeguard is not easy depending on the facility you work at. The requirements for lifeguards is to be able to tread water, stay in one positon with your head above water in deep water, with no hands for 2 minutes. Then you have to swim a 300 which is 12 laps in a 25-yard swimming pool without stopping, and doggy paddle is not one of the strokes you can do. Then you have to dive to the bottom of the pool, and depending on which facility you are at it can be as deep as 14ft, get a brick and swim to the other end with it on your chest.
As you can see being a lifeguard isn’t as easy as it seems. Not only are we responsible for patrons in the pool but for those outside and anywhere in the facility. If someone goes into cardiac arrest we are the first responds until paramedics show up and take over. Having lives in your hand is stressful and not an easy task. So, before you say lifeguards have an easy job, think about the responsibilities we have and scenarios we may go through.