Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, & Other Recreational Protective Service Workers

Also Called:

Lifeguard,

Ocean Lifeguard,

Pool Attendant,

Ski Patroller

What they do: Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches, or ski slopes, to provide assistance and protection to participants.

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Patrol or monitor recreational areas, such as trails, slopes, or swimming areas, on foot, in vehicles, or from towers.
  • Rescue distressed persons, using rescue techniques and equipment.
  • Contact emergency medical personnel in case of serious injury.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Attention

  • Pay attention to something without being distracted

  • Do two or more things at the same time

Verbal

  • Communicate by speaking

  • Listen and understand what people say

Visual Understanding

  • See hidden patterns

  • Quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things

Endurance

  • Exercise for a long time without getting out of breath

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements

  • Talking to others

Problem Solving

  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research

  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career

2. Plan your next move

  • Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
  • Visit Idaho Launch
  • Search for available Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, & Other Recreational Protective Service Workers jobs on Idaho Works

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop