9 Jobs for Swimmers That You’ve Never Considered
When searching for a job, people want to find something that relates to what they are good at and what they enjoy. If they’ve been swimming long enough, or love swimming enough, logically they may want to look into jobs related to swimming! However, not every swimmer is looking to turn around and become a swim coach. They likely possess other passions in life as well. Here are nine jobs that incorporate common skills and experiences swimmers share, that may not exactly pop into your head the second you think “swimming.”
1. Morning Radio DJ
Swim practices are often scheduled for early morning hours. The dedicated swimmer will find themselves rolling out of bed around 5 a.m. and hitting the water soon after. Some may even blast music to wake themselves up on the car ride to the pool. What better way to put that early morning habit to use than to get a job playing your favorite songs for other early birds to hear? You could even make your own station just for athletes who need to get their blood pumping.
2. Surgeon
It’s no secret that being a surgeon requires a great deal of skill. One of those skills is being able to operate under pressure. Whether it’s an emergency situation or a long and intense procedure, what surgeons do can have major consequences. Swimmers also face a lot of pressure: Anchoring an important relay, competing for first with a whole natatorium of eyes on them, or trying for a time cut in a last chance attempt. Obviously, a swim race is not quite as paramount as a surgery. The point is that a swimmer would know whether or not they could perform under pressure before they chose this medical practice.
3. Food Critic
Like many athletes, swimmers are known for their large appetites. Meals like immense amounts of pasta before a big meet, or huge breakfasts after a particularly difficult Saturday morning practice are common occurrences. Being a food critic could allow a swimmer to not only do what they love but also get paid for it!
4. Meteorologist
Photo Courtesy: Mathias Krumbholz
For the swimmers that have experienced training in outdoor pools, they have also experienced the anticipation of thunder. It seems that when a cloudy sky rolls around, a lot of swimmers suddenly have an uncanny ability to predict when lighting is going to strike. When it’s hard to tell whether a loud noise was a garbage truck, an airplane, or thunder, swimmers are always able to know that it was surely mother nature telling them practice is over. It would just make sense for a swimmer to become a meteorologist after their years of experience predicting weather patterns.
5. Marine Biologist
Marine biology would be an excellent career choice for any swimmer with a passion for science, animals, or the ocean. Getting to be around water constantly would be familiar and fun. While studying fish, maybe someone would make a discovery about fins or tails that could contribute to the competitive swimming world. Most importantly, swimmers would also be able to show off their swimming skills to all their colleagues during diving trips.
6. Mattress Salesperson
Over their years, swimmers will likely find themselves sleeping in a variety of places: on gym floors, bleachers, cars, busses, couches, or hotel beds. Thus, swimmers can become experts on what kind of surfaces make for the best sleeping experience. By selling mattresses, swimmers would have all sorts of knowledge and personal anecdotes to assist a customer in acquiring the perfect type of cushion for their needs.
7. Private Island Caretaker
Though the title “Private Island Caretaker” may sound made up and too good to be true, it is in fact a real job. When exploring the general requirements of the job, skills like good time management, organization, communication, and swimming are all top of the list. Swimmers who enjoy solidarity and the outdoors (and private islands) may want to consider this endeavor.
8. Airplane Flight Crew
Photo Courtesy: Kate Santilena
Anyone who’s been on a commercial airplane flight is familiar with the safety announcements that occur before takeoff. One important piece of information that’s always addressed is the oxygen masks that deploy in case of emergency. Swimming is one of the only sports where athletes perform taxing amounts of exercise while holding their breath. You could expect a retired swimmer flight attendant to be very sympathetic toward someone not getting enough air. They would be a very dependable crew member to help passengers get their oxygen masks on quickly if needed.
9. Tattoo Artist
To become a tattoo artist, swimmers would have to reach back to their early swimming days. Nostalgic summer league meets consisting of writing phrases like “Eat my Bubbles,” and pictures of fish on teammates were preparing swimmers to be tattoo artists before they even knew it. Writing events down on the back of arms and hands with sharpies has also offered swimmers free experience in this job field.
Of course, most of the jobs listed here would require either years of school or extensive training before getting hired. The title “swimmer” would probably not be enough for an employer. However, if one was passionate enough, there’s no reason they couldn’t choose any of these somewhat swimming-related careers.