How I did it: I applied for and got a job at a whitewater rafting company in West Virginia. They took me on 15 training trips, taught me basic swift water rescue, local wildlife, and how to swim a rapid. I also got experience in CPR and First-Aid. I learned about the anatomy of a rapid and what whitewater is. I did it for 3 years, living in a tent most of the time, and working for purely tips for most of it. I loved every second of it and would recommend it to anyone as a job in the summers between semester breaks.

Lessons & tips: Never point where you shouldn't go, always go where someone points, and paddle as hard and as fast as you can when you crest a rapid. Remember these guides work for mostly tips, so tip big.

Resources: A whitewater rafting company was a big help.

Jan 28, 2009, 02:30AM PST | 0 comments | 4 cheers