Being A Politician Is The Scariest Job In America

Americans think being a politician is scarier than being a mortician or an infectious disease doctor. In fact, there's no job in the U.S. that workers fear more than being an elected official, according to a nationwide survey by CareerBuilder.

Americans think being a politician is scarier than being a mortician or an infectious disease doctor. In fact, there's no job in the U.S. that workers fear more than being an elected official, according to a nationwide survey by CareerBuilder.

It's all that public speaking, rejection and accountability associated with the job that terrifies workers most.

CareerBuilder's survey, conducted by Harris Poll, asked 3,103 full-time workers nationwide which jobs they found "most frightful." Here are the top 10 scariest jobs, straight from CareerBuilder's survey:


1. Politician: There are 56,857 politicians/legislators in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $9.89
Average salary for U.S. Senators and members of the House of Representatives in 2014: $174,0001
Scary for those who fear: Responsibility; accountability to a large number of people; rejection.

2. Microbiologist for Infectious Diseases: In general, there are 20,800 microbiologists in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $32.61
Scary for those who fear: Germs; Ebola; accidentally leaving the hazmat suit at home.

3. Security Guard at Teen Pop Idol Concert: In general, there are 1,163,023 security guards in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $11.62
Scary for those who fear: Getting trampled by screaming tweens.

4. Kindergarten Teacher: There are 158,084 kindergarten teachers (non-special education) in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $24.12
Scary for those who fear: Germs; temper tantrums; shaping the minds of America’s youth.

5. Crime Scene Investigator: There are 128,432 detectives and criminal investigators and forensic science technicians in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $35.75
Scary for those who fear: Blood; the disappointment on people’s faces when you tell them the job is nothing like it is on TV.

6. Animal Trainer: There are 32,360 animal trainer jobs in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $12.03
Scary for those who fear: Animal attacks; allergy flare-ups.

7. Mortician: There are 27,505 mortician, undertaker and funeral director jobs in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $22.83
Scary for those who fear: Dead bodies; silence; zombie attacks.

8. Radio, Cellular and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers: There are 16,213 radio, cellular and tower equipment installer and repairer jobs in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $21.59
Scary for those who fear: Heights.

9. Stand-Up Comedian: There are 37,272 jobs in the entertainers and performers, sports and related workers industry, which include comedians, in the U.S.
Median hourly pay: $16.89
Scary for those who fear: Public speaking; awkward silence.

10. Parent: There are too many parent jobs in the U.S. to count.
Median hourly pay: Not nearly enough.
Scary for those who fear: Almost all of the above fears.

CareerBuilder notes that there are 56,857 Americans working as politicians or legislators making a ghastly low median wage of $9.89 per hour, according to Economic Modeling Specialists Intl, a market research company.

A Gallup poll found that 40 percent of Americans fear public speaking. That could explain why we're so petrified of the idea of being a politician, stand-up comic, or kindergarden teacher. Also, trust in government has plummeted to an all-time low, so that may have something to do with our fear of being a politician.

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