You may be scared about your job – but are you scared of it? Asked to choose from a list of the jobs they found the most frightful (or submit their own), workers provided the following answers:
1. Politician: There are 56,857 politicians/legislators in the U.S.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Scary for those who fear: Dead bodies; silence; zombie attacks.
8. Radio, Cellular and Tower Equipment Installer and Repairer: There are 16,213 radio, cellular and tower equipment installer and repairer jobs in the U.S.
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.
Scary for those who fear: Public speaking; awkward silence.
10. Parent: There are too many parent jobs in the U.S. to count.
Scary for those who fear: Almost all of the above fears.
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 3,103 U.S. workers (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between Aug. 11 and Sept. 5, 2014. More information about the jobs listed above is available here.
