The 10th house corresponds to an earth sign and is therefore a house of artha (wealth).
Career, profession, fame, honor, status, government, holy pilgrimages, good deeds, activities benefiting society, authority figures, government officials.
Karma bhava governs one's career and status. It is a simple house In that there are relatively few meanings to keep inmind, but certainly rulership of career and fame make it a significant part of a horoscope.
The main caution to be aware of in considering the 10th house is that a thorough analysis (sign, sign rulers, planets occupying, etc.) may not produce an accurate prediction of a person's profession. This is because there are so many factors involved in a person's choice that only through delineation of the entire horoscope can one hope to make the proper judgement. However, in terms of judging a person's career status and fame, analysis of the 10th gives fine results.
The karakas, or indicators, of the 10th house are Saturn, the Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter.
Retrograde owner of the 10th house — a person will be indecisive in choosing a career or will have problems with self-realization in a career plan, but this does not mean that he will necessarily be haunted by failures — sometimes such people, on the contrary, easily reach career heights and fame.
Source: «Ancient Hindu Astrology for the Modern Western Astrologer» by James Braha