- Survey reveals the most ruthless workers in Illinois, in terms of career ambition.
- Healthcare workers were followed by those in law + real estate.
- Infographic showing the most cutthroat careers in each state.
The modern workplace might have open-plan offices, Slack emojis, and mental health days, but in today’s hyper-competitive job market, many career-driven workers will stop at almost nothing to climb the ladder – even if it means bending the rules or sacrificing their integrity.
A new national survey from YourFreeCareerTest.com, a career test platform, asked 3,000 working employees:
‘How far would you go to climb the career ladder?’
The responses suggest a generation caught between grit and guilt, between wanting to succeed and not wanting to sell out. While the majority (63%) say they prefer to “stay quiet and let their work speak for itself,” others admit they’d go much further.
Ambition in the Age of AI
As job security becomes less stable and artificial intelligence threatens to upend entire industries, many employees feel an urgency to stand out – and fast.
- 14% would relocate to a city they dislike if it meant advancing their career.
- 10% would exaggerate their achievements on performance reviews.
- 4% would even take credit for someone else’s idea.
Meanwhile, 29% confess they’ve secretly monitored or observed colleagues to spot weaknesses and gain a competitive edge. And when it comes to protecting their job, 31% say they’d throw a coworker under the bus if it meant saving their position.
“There’s a real tension between wanting to succeed and wanting to sleep at night,” says Sanjit Sandhu of YourFreeCareerTest. “Most workers are ethical, but when promotions are scarce or layoffs are looming, you start to see what people are willing to risk.”
The Most Cutthroat Careers in Illinois
The survey didn’t just explore personal behaviors, it also asked self-identified ruthless workers to name their industry. The results reveal a fascinating patchwork of ambition across the state, with healthcare workers in Illinois considered the most ruthless – no surprise given how so many hospital systems are large, private, and performance-driven.
Illinois’ top 5 most cut-throat careers are:
1. Healthcare
2. Legal
3. Real Estate
4. Finance
5. IT
In other parts of the country:
New York’s most ruthless workers overwhelmingly came from finance, where Wall Street’s legendary hustle culture still draws those willing to play hardball to climb the ladder.
In California, the most cutthroat self-identifiers work in tech, citing long hours, relentless startup competition, and the constant threat of being replaced by AI or younger talent.
In Texas, perhaps unexpectedly, the most ruthless respondents come from retail – a nod to the state’s intense sales culture and sprawling big-box headquarters.
Massachusetts’ most aggressive climbers also work in tech, echoing Boston’s status as a fast-paced hub for biotech and innovation.
Oregon, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey see legal professionals rise to the top, a profession where winning is quite literally the job description.
Even Montana, better known for wide skies than boardroom battles, sees its most ruthless respondents in finance – proving no state is immune to ambition in a suit.
In Maine, it is engineering that draws the highest share of cutthroat confessionals, while in North Carolina and Delaware, IT professionals lead the charge.
And in Nevada and Wyoming, it is real estate agents and brokers who most often admitted to pushing boundaries in pursuit of success in markets where high stakes and commissions fuel competitive fire.
Infographic showing most ruthless professions by state.
Ethical Lines in the Sand
- 8% said they’ll “win at all costs”.
- 34% prefer to “play smart, not mean”.
- 30% try to “be kind, but not naive”.
- 14% say they value loyalty over climbing the ladder.
- And another 14% say they’re not ambitious – they just want peace.
When asked if they’d ever leak a colleague’s mistake to leadership if it made them look better, 1 in 5 admitted they would.
“We like to believe we work in a meritocracy,” Sanjit Sandhu adds. “But in reality, people are navigating complex dynamics – fear, politics, pressure to perform. This survey pulls back the curtain.”
What It All Means
The takeaway? American ambition is alive and well, but so is a moral compass. Most workers still believe in doing the right thing, or at least, the smart thing.
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