Employment makes the world go round—whether it’s working to survive, or because it’s what you love to do, people are often defined to some extent by the job they have.  Some jobs are considered noble—the firemen, nurse, or ER doctor—while other jobs are almost an embarrassment to admit to performing. Everyone has different opinions on what the worst jobs to have are, but there’s a general consensus about the least respected vocations in the United States today. A 2014 Gallup poll establishes what percentage of the population would trust the following ten professions, from most to least trustworthy.

It seems the higher you go in politics, the less people trust you. One would hope the local politicians could at least muster a decent amount of trust and respect, but a number of scandals in the past few years have tarnished what was onece, arguably, a somewhat respected profession. Whether it’s a mayor caught doing coke, or county officials taking bribes, the population has begun to question the trustworthiness of local government decisions and the people making them.

Most people aren’t even sure what these guys do, but they do know that they are among the wealthiest earners in the world. Big offices at the top of high-rise expensive real estate, mansions, private chauffeurs and—as many people would assume, anyway—shady dealings. They’re associated with the Halliburtons and Enrons of the world, and, like a plague on society, are often the targets of organized protests.

Journalism was once a noble profession. At least, noble people such as Benjamin Franklin were once the sorts people associated with journalism. And Journalists would have you believe they’re all about enlightening the public, exposing corruption, and promoting the truth. Funny thing, then, that only 21% of Americans are buying that self-satisfied image. Newspapers seem to inspire a great deal of distrust in people today, with claims of bias and political agendas obscuring the facts
 
They’re the butt of countless jokes, the majority of cheap, cheesy commercials, and the inspiration for numerous ruthless and villainous television characters—they’re lawyers. Even in countries where the Law is held in high esteem, as a noble and just institution, lawyers are seen as the bottom feeders of society. Sure, they practice law, but they somehow make it seem as though justice is the last thing they’re after. It’s all about winning—whether your side is right or wrong. The law is such that loopholes, civil rights, and the pursuit of getting paid the big dollars seem to trump any interest of right and wrong. 

No doubt for reasons not dissimilar to newspaper reporters, television reporters fare a little worse than their brethren in print. Television is all about getting viewers, and even the local news has shown they aren’t above exploiting scandal and salacious news to get their ratings up. Add to this the same sort of bias that plagues newspaper, and you have a segment of the working population who can’t even rate as more trustworthy than lawyers.
