Being a lifeguard is surely not the summer job it used to be for teenagers looking to make a buck. Oftentimes it entails staring into space for what feels like days with little social interaction. Lake Forest Club Lifeguards, however, seem to enjoy themselves sitting atop the various pools as the sun beats down on them.

Pay: 2/5

At a rate of $9.25 an hour, there is certainly room for improvement being just one dollar over minimum wage. For high schoolers though, minimum wage is typical, but being a lifeguard requires extensive training and a $150 certification course that must be repeated every two years. That certainly cuts into your net income.

Shifts: 4/5

Shifts typically last 5-6 hours which presents both positives and negatives. On one hand, you get to walk out of the day with over $50; on the other hand, those days can be very long and strenuous. With longer shifts too, missing one day can mean losing a good chunk of your paycheck. Shifts range from 8 AM to 1 PM, 12 PM to 5 PM, and 3 PM to 9 PM. Not having shifts past nine means more nights out, but it also means a fair amount of mornings will have to be spend dredging off to work. A 9 AM to 2 PM shift would grant more flexibility and give this job a 3/3 in the shift category.

Environment: 5/5

Michael Pasquella raved about the environment at Lake Forest Club. With a plethora of other high schoolers and a relaxed break room, there was plenty of comradery. Also according to Michael, staff social gatherings were a huge bonus. Sitting poolside might get boring, but soaking up the hot sun never does.

Tasks: 3/5

As nice as it may be to bask in the sun during your shifts, there are certainly repercussions. For one, lifeguards must go through extensive training in order to be certified. The training is not easy either and consists of either a semester long course, a 12 hour day, or a 6 hour training on the weekend; another negative is the cleaning the lifeguards have to do from the dirty pool vacuum to the monotonous deck sweeping. The job is simple though as it doesn’t take much mental gymnastics to complete the simple tasks, but it may leave you bored in the meantime. Accidents have occurred, however, and lifeguards have had to save kids before, which can be extremely stressful.

Overall Grade: C-