Being A Lifeguard

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?
Each day that I come to work, I am responsible for the lives of everyone who enters the facility. Being a lifeguard for the City of Sacramento can be somewhat challenging, but overall very rewarding. Being a lifeguard requires a lot of skills, including responsibility, attention to detail, communication, and one of the most important aspects, teamwork. My first job as a lifeguard taught these skills, helping me to better prepare myself for day-to-day life. From being a lifeguard for nearly three consecutive years, I have obtained more confidence in myself. My confidence progressed from being on the lifeguard stand, to interacting with people, and from making announcements about potentially hazardous situations. In these instances, I have to be prepared and knowledgeable of the incident.
Every interaction requires a slightly different approach, techniques that I have acquired in the past couple of years. As a lifeguard, I don’t wait to receive orders — I take action, prioritize, and make many, often difficult, decisions myself. People often count on me for the safety of themselves and of their children, so being alert and prepared for any emergency is always necessary. When getting certified as a lifeguard, I essentially learned how to save lives. However, when I first started lifeguarding as a young teenager, I had no idea how useful these set of skills would be. Since being certified in CPR, first aid, and an AED, I have been able to teach countless others these valuable life skills as well. In addition to these lifesaving kills, I also have the qualifications to teach adults and children how to swim on their own, yet another important skill that everyone should be familiar