I'm a lifeguard on the Georgia coast. It's NOT just sitting in a chair getting tan. 🏖️

[MaryaSenna]

I need to set something straight. I'm a junior at Georgia Southern, and every summer I work as a lifeguard on Tybee Island. And every time I tell people, they're like "oh, so you just sit in a chair and get a tan all summer? Must be nice."

NO. It's not "just sitting." It's hours of training, constant scanning, dealing with tourists who ignore every rule, and occasionally pulling people out of rip currents. I've saved three people this summer. Three! That's not a vacation, that's a job.

Here's what people don't see:

• The 5am workouts to stay in shape
• The heat stroke I almost got last July
• The parents who yell at me because I won't let their kid swim in dangerous conditions
• The jellyfish stings, the sunburn (yes, even with sunscreen), the sand in EVERYTHING
• The CPR recertification every year

Yeah, the view is nice. And yeah, my tan is pretty good . But it's real work. I'm responsible for people's lives.

Plus, it pays way better than food service and looks great on a resume. Emergency response, public safety, quick decision-making—future employers eat that up.

Any other lifeguards out there? How do you deal with the "just a beach job" comments?

 

[Antuan]

Lifeguards are first responders, full stop. You're doing the same kind of work we do—just with more sand and sun. The training, the vigilance, the split-second decisions—it's all the same.

The "just sitting" comments come from people who've never had to jump into action when someone's life is on the line. They don't understand the mental exhaustion of scanning constantly, looking for the one person in trouble among hundreds of swimmers.

My partner was a lifeguard in college and she still talks about the saves she made years ago. That stuff stays with you. It's real work with real stakes.

Thank you for what you do. And next time someone says "must be nice," tell them about the three people you saved. That usually shuts them up.