Your office is the beach, your uniform a pair of boardshorts, and you could rescue dozens of people a season. According to 30-year veteran Southern California lifeguard Lance Dempsey, 鈥淥n a busy week-end, there might be 2,000 people in front of your tower.鈥
Prereqs: It鈥檚 far tougher to get a glamorous ocean job than a gig at the local country club鈥攕trong swimmers and lifelong surfers have an advantage in competitive places like California, North Carolina, and Florida.
How to Break In: California county and state agencies will hire 16-year-olds if they can pass the swim test. But those tests often occur in February. In a Speedo. The first 40 or 80 people to cross the line get to the interview phase. You鈥檒l line up for the swim test with guys wearing UCLA and Stanford swim-team hoodies.
Pay: In Los Angeles, the hourly wage is $18, with bonuses for bilingualism and for EMT certification in L.A. County; $11.25 per hour in North Carolina.
Romance Potential: The view can be pretty good from the lifeguard tower, but as far as getting a phone number, 鈥淵ou have to play it pretty cool,鈥 says Dempsey. State-beach lifeguards aren鈥檛 supposed to leave the tower unless they are making a rescue.
R茅sum茅 Skills: CPR and emergency first aid, calm under pressure, killer tan.