Charley Kenyon, a Junior at Bates College, started working as a lifeguard the fall of his freshman year, took Sophomore year off, but couldn’t stay away from the job and is back in action. Working around 4 hours a week, Charley enjoys taking his weekly break from being a student to become the overseer of the waters, a pool Posiedon of sorts.

Since he has had a lot of previous experience in this position, Charley decided that taking a job as a lifeguard at Bates would be a great job,“and it pays well” he adds. To get this job, a student must be a certified lifeguard, meaning they must take an American Red Cross Lifeguard Training and Community First Aid class. If they have, they may fill out the online application found on the SEO website if a job position is available, go to an introduction meeting, and sign up for a shift.

On a normal day of guarding lives, Charley arrives 5 minutes early to the pool in order to relieve the previous guard from his duty, sits down and then guards the pool for two hours. After his shift of surveying his kingdom of water and humid air is over, Charley locks up the equipment and pool locker rooms and goes back to life as a student. “My primary task is to keep people safe” Charley states, “There are usually two guards which helps not only for watching the pool but keeping each other awake and alert as well.”

Charley’s job as a lifeguard has taught him skills such as “cooperation, attention to detail, and responsibility.” Charley adds that, although these are all “definitely important skills and useful in most job settings”, he is a history major destined to “have no career path, but hey, at least I can get a job lifeguarding!”

“My job has taught me a lot about responsibility.” Charley continues. “As a lifeguard you are responsible for the safety of everyone in the pool and it is important to stay diligent and focused on the condition of all swimmers at all times. Lots of people, from professors to students to staff, use the pool for lap swimming.” Because of this, this position on campus is quite the important one, and we’re lucky to have Charley on the job.