Lifeguarding is a very appealing summer job for teenager. What other job lets you tan while you’re working? But one does not become a lifeguard simply by showing up at the pool. Learning how to be able to save lives takes time, and the training process is difficult, according to several students from North Harford.

Junior Sarah St Clair decided to become a lifeguard because she “loves the water and it’s good money.” Junior Jenna Boyd added that “it’s a really good experience to have because you learn skills to help you save lives.” Sophomore Bryanna Boegner and Junior Frank Badders also thought it would be a fun job to have because they enjoy the pool and swimming.

The training lasts for about three weeks. “There are two eight hour courses and then a test, so it is a lot. You have to learn CPR, you have to take an online course… It’s kind of a pain,” explained Badders. “I had to watch all these videos of ladies telling me how to help if somebody is choking, I sat in front of my computer for hours answering questions, it was not that fun,” said Boegner.

Future lifeguards need to be good swimmers, and they need to master all different kinds of skills. “There are different types of jumps that you use when getting people out of the water, you learn how to react in different situations, like when people have certain conditions or if they start getting a seizure or a stroke…” said Boyd. The students also spent a long time practicing CPR on dummies, and getting them from under the water. Learning how to get people out of the water and memorize all the terms and medical conditions are parts of the training that they found complicated. St Clair said, “It’s all learning experience, it’s like pretty much anything else.”

In the end, the training is worth it because “you get to be out in the sun, you get to talk to people, you get a tan..” Boyd said. And past the training part, “It’s a very easy job, as long as you do it right,” claimed Badders.