Sims 3 Careers

Your Sims can have a job in The Sims 3. Discover the different careers unlocked by the base game and its expansions, the different ranks and promotions, and the rewards unlocked.

Here you'll find everything you need to know to progress as quickly as possible through the various careers, as well as a few tips and tricks. Enjoy the game.

Having the following things can be a huge plus: The awesomemod (see dedicated section in "help and tips"), the following happiness rewards: Office hero, multitasking, and this mod, to meet colleagues faster:
https://modthesims.info/download.php?t=426083

Character traits

For each profession, during the progression phase, the traits to have universally are: Workaholic and Ambitious.

• • Workaholic: Your enjoyment decreases by 7 points/hour when working intensively, and 0/hour for any other way of working, against 21 points/hour for a non-workaholic.

• • AmbitiousOffers a hidden metric of 2; see the section on metrics.

Secondly, for certain trades, character traits will also offer you a hidden metricThese traits will be revealed in the description of the jobs in question.

The metrics:

These are the little smiley faces that you can see on your career page.

Metrics are what you see in: Performance. They go from -3 to 3. The higher they are, the better your performance.
Some are fixed, others decrease over timeThey will need to be re-inflated.
In this example, typically, you have metrics that decrease when not increased. Organized meetings drop off quickly, and faster as you move up the business ladder. Relationships with colleagues and bosses also decrease, if you don't have the "long distance friend" reward/"extremely friendly" charisma skill challenge.

Here, the "logical" metric will remain fixed, like any skill metric. Work the assets, they will always be useful.

Which job should I choose?

It all depends on what you want to do with your sims. If you don't have a long term wish related to a career, here are different cases:

• • I want to take care of my children and work: Rockstar (music, rock branch), Investor (in business), Rector (Education). The first job is the most interesting, because you will not have to work hours. You can give concerts whenever you want. The other two require you to be in the office only 9 hours a week.

• • I want to be rich: There are only two, namely World Famous Surgeon or King of Thieves. Here, it's really up to you. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Since level 4 of the medical branch, as you know/will see, you will be paged often for emergencies, sometimes in the middle of the night; however, the normal hours are more than nice (9am/14pm, 4 days a week (M/W/D/V)) and allow you to keep a more than decent social life. Voleur on the other hand, has annoying working hours (21h/01h00, 4 days/week). You work one hour less, but mostly on weekends (V/S/D) and on Tuesdays. Nevertheless, there is still the wonderful opportunity of stealing the golden lama which offers you 238/h and 8000§ of bonus, as well as the possibility to "bring back" various objects "found" during your working time, including sculptures at 13 000§.

• • I'm having trouble meeting my charisma skill challenges: Politics, unquestionably. From level 6 (local elected official), you'll have access to the incredible "make an inspiring speech". This speech is an area-of-effect socialization, affecting all sims present within a radius of several meters around your sim, and the sim you're making the speech to. Before you know it, you'll have the 25 acquaintances you need for the "celebrity" challenge, then the 20 friends you need for the "extremely friendly" challenge, and thus the long-term wish to "have 20 friends".
    I want to know the sims' traits quickly: Journalism (from freelancer (rank 3) to news anchor (rank 10), except weather anchor (rank 7), Law enforcement, from rank 4 (patrol officer)

Careers

I have graded them all. The rating is based on: Salary at the end of careers, work hours, difficulty, bonuses provided, opportunities and raises.

• • Medicine (end of career salary: 480§/h, increase 48/h, chance increase: 95/h)

    • • My rating: 5/5
    • • Metrics: Mood, logic, research
    • • Recommended traits: Genius/Bookworm
    • • The first three levels are easy to climb, requiring only an increase in logic, and leaving you to rest after your work day. After that, things get tougher, and the bookworm character trait takes on its full meaning. Indeed, you will work for a long time on levels 4/5/6 and 9, leaving you little free time. And during this free time, you will not only have to increase your logic, but also read your research books to increase your "research" metric by one point. The combination of "bookworm" and "genius" will make this progression lightning fast. Then, let's stop for a moment on grades 7 and 8 of this career (Geneticist and Infectious Disease Researcher). You will only have 5 hours of work in these two stages. The research metric will seriously penalize you since it will be impossible for you to be promoted the same day if you do not act, penalized as you will be by the research metric. You will then have several solutions:

        • • Working from home
        • • Follow up on the patient
        • • Responding to a hospital emergency (random)
        • • Intervene in emergency on a sim that starts to suffer
        • • Hold a seminar (but these are random, so don't count on them)

    • • In any case, avoid being idle after work, and everything should be fine.
    • • In the end, you become a "World Class Surgeon", 9am-2pm (Mon/Mon/Day/Vol), and you can determine the sex of pregnant sims' babies, as well as "give fantastic medical advice" (socialization)

• • Underworld: Thief: (end of career salary: 525/h, increase 52/h, chance increase, 238/h)

    • • My rating: 4/5
    • • Recommended traits: Malevolent (hidden metric of 3), Licking, Athlete
    • • Recommended form: Vampire
    • • Metrics: Mood, athleticism, accomplices
    • • Side benefits: "Doing illegal activities" will increase your physical practice hours, and you will be able to easily complete the skill challenges
    • • The other queen career, but extremely hard to ride. It is the hardest by far. It is even the only one to be hard. Everything will indeed work against you. First of all, you will have to take up athletics, the only skill that can be taken up for a limited time. Then, you can be apprehended by the police and the drama will begin. In addition to the lost working day, your performance will drop dramatically. Finally, the hours are boring, there is no other word, preventing you, from level 3, to chain promotions, since you finish after midnight. You will work once every two days in case of promotion, without counting the days off, as well as the rounds of the police. You have understood well, this job is a torture. But it also has its advantages: Money. It is this branch of the career that pays the most. Your sim will indeed bring home his finds, which will be placed in the family inventory. You will be able to resell them and end up rich (he can indeed bring back "Puck's soliloquy" (7,500§) and "ambiguity incarnate" (12,250§))
    • • In the end, you will become "King of Thieves", 9pm/01am on Tue/V/S/D. You will have the "sneak" interaction from level 7, but also the King of Thieves statue, which embellishes any room to the max.

• • The underworld: Malicious branch :

    • • My rating: 2/5
    • • Recommended traits: Malevolent (hidden metric of 3), Athlete, Spitfire, Genius
    • • Recommended form: Vampire
    • • Metrics: Mood/Athletics/Logic/Boss
    • • This is the bad boy branch. The sims who choose this branch are bad boys (Mary Kay Shallow, Nick Alto, Marigold Racket.....), and it is really reserved for this type of sims. The pay is much less than the flight branch, even if here too you bring back items, you have two skills to climb including athletics. At the end of your career (Emperor of Evil), you have a red aura on your sim that will make the others run away, and the cowards faint. In short, we are an American comic book villain, and, to summarize, I want to say, you really need to have the fiber to get into it.
    • • In the end, you will become "Emperor/Empress of Evil", Hours 9pm/02pm on M/W/D, and you will have a red aura that will scare away your fellow creatures except for brave friends/similars.

• • Law Enforcement: Special Agent Branch :

    • • My rating: 5/5
    • • Recommended traits Courageous (hidden metric of 3), Genius, Athlete.
    • • Recommended form: Vampire
    • • Metrics: Mood, Logic, Athleticism, Relationships (decreases with time), and partner during your progression
    • • Unlike the two previous careers, this is the career of the brave and the righteous, but also of the big kids (Blaise Wainwright). As with the previous career, you will have a trait here that will serve as a hidden metric, namely courageous. This career has the same disadvantage as medicine, namely that you can be paged at any time. For the rest, only good. Only one sim to socialize with, namely your partner, the possibility to learn the traits of others, an ultra-fast progression, one of the highest salaries, a classy costume...
    • • Also be aware that your reports, if you do them on criminal sims, will give you an improvement in your work performance, and a further improvement in your report metric. But you must be aware that the sim being interviewed is a criminal, at least before you type the report. Be sure to "check out the career" if you need to.
    • • At the end, you become "International Spy", working hours 9am to 1pm on L/Ma/D/V, salary 426§/h, increase 42§/h. You will also have a mandate that will allow you, once a week, to raid the criminals' lair and earn some simflouz.

• • Forensic Medicine Branch:

    • • My rating is 5/5
    • • Recommended traits: Courageous, Genius, Artist
    • • Recommended form: none
    • • Metrics: Mood, Logic, Painting, Reports (decreases with time), Partner during your progression phase
    • • The same as for international spy, except for a few things. You work an extra hour a day, and you have to ride the paint instead of athletics. The uniform is less classy but the career itself is really attractive. Note that you will receive a laptop as soon as you switch to this branch (at level 6, Wiretap Technician).
    • • Same recommendations as above.
    • • Eventually, you will become a "Dynamic DNA Profiler", salary 397§/hr, working hours L/Ma/D/V, 9h/14h, increase 38§/hr.

• • Military:

    • • My rating: 3/5
    • • Recommended traits: Courageous (metric 3), Athlete, Handyman, Bootlicker
    • • Recommended form: Vampire
    • • Metrics: Mood, DIY, Athletics, Boss (during progress)
    • • This is an unusual career. You will have to get up early, very early. Soon enough, you will be working 1 day/2. The salary is correct, but nothing more. The incredible aspect of the career is its grand finale, astronaut (spationaute for the French purists, of which I am one). You will work 18 hours a week. You only work one day a week! Yes, you will work 18 hours in one day! Monday to be exact. Be sure to get your mood up before you leave. Here, you can't just watch, you'll have to do something about the way you work. You'll have to take it easy more than once. Don't hesitate to ask for raises by clicking on your military base, you'll have time to remake yourself if it's rejected. If it is accepted, you can even get a double raise.
    • • In the end you will become an astronaut, working hours 06h00/01h00 the next day, salary 334§/h, increase 33§/h, work on Monday only.

• • Business:

    • • My rating: 5/5 chairman of the board, 3/5 investor
    • • Recommended traits: Bootlicker, charismatic
    • • Recommended form: none
    • • Metrics: Mood, Boss, Colleagues, Organized meetings (decreases with time)
    • • Business... The former queen career of sims 2, a little out of date in 3. In fact, in the final stage, you only work 9 hours a week, to give you time to organize meetings at your place of work, or elsewhere, such as at the bistro. Yes, but that's a real blow to your social life, and only pays 750€/meeting. What's more, women wear a chignon, and it doesn't suit them all.
    • • But, as you may have read, I find the chairmanship of the board of directors more advantageous, which is why I propose "level locking". In other words, you leave your place of work 5 minutes before the end to avoid the promotion. You will earn a very good living, you won't need to organize meetings, and you will have a classy suit, in both sexes.
    • • At the end you will become chairman of the board (grade 9), hours 8am/14pm L/Ma/D/V, 287§/hr, increases via opportunities or boss
    • • Eventually you will become an Investor, hours 08h/11h L/Ma/D, increase 31§/h

• • Education:

    • • My rating: 0/5
    • • Recommended form: None
    • • Recommended traits: Charismatic, genius
    • • Metrics: Mood, course (decreases with time), logic, charisma
    • • A total failure: It's the same thing as in business, only worse, much worse. Not content with asking you to improve two skills, one of which is very boring (charisma), giving lessons will only bring you 200§, against 750/meeting in business. It's beep to set up, it's just beep, and there is no long term wish connected. To be reserved for those who have the vocation.
    • • At the end you will become a rector, salary 541§/h, schedule 08/11h on L/Ma/D

• • Science:

    • • My rating is 3/5
    • • Recommended form: Vampire
    • • Recommended traits: Green thumb, Handyman, Fisherman
    • • Metrics: Mood, gardening, DIY, fishing
    • • As for education, you need to have the fiber to enter the science. Indeed, you will be asked to climb no less than 3 skills, one of which is boring (fishing), for a salary that is not commensurate with the effort required. The advantage at stage 10 is that you can "experiment" on your objects, which will then give different states of mind to the sims who use them.
    • • At the end, you will become a mad scientist, Salary 404§/h, increase 35§/h, working hours: 09h/14h on L/Ma/V

• • Policy:

    • • My rating: 4/5
    • • Recommended form: none
    • • Recommended traits: Charismatic, bootlicker
    • • Metrics: Mood, Charisma, Boss, Funding (decreases with each promotion)
    • • Given the grand-sounding title of your senior work, as well as the absolutely filthy uniform, I took one point off this otherwise great career. Several things to know. You can debate politics with other sims, which varies the social interactions, you can host fundraising parties as early as level 6, making you a real American president on the campaign trail, but most importantly, you will have access to the remarkable "inspirational speech" (also level 6). This wide-ranging speech will affect all sims around you within a radius of more than 10M, and will increase your relationship by 5 points with all sims affected. As you can see, repeat it 8 times, and you will have as many friends as sims around you (you need 40 relationship points to become friends).
    • • You will become "leader of the free world" Working hours 09h/13h30 on L/Me/V, Salary 423§/h, increase 37§/h, the sims recognize you.

• • Music: Rock branch:

    • • My rating: 5/5
    • • Recommended traits: Artist, Virtuoso, bootlicker
    • • Metrics: Mood, Musical instruments (Guitar predominates in case of equal skill between other instrument and guitar), Group (colleagues), Concerts
    • • A really special job, interesting on all levels. You won't have to work long hours, you'll have to give concerts, either at the stadium (longer, better paid), or at the theater (shorter, less well paid). You won't be able to be demoted and you'll be able to organize autograph sessions in front of various places in the city, once every 168 hours (one week plus one minute for those who aren't good at mental arithmetic), during which many sims from the city, as well as ghosts, will come to ask you for your signature, because you're "too classy". On top of that, these autographs will bring you money. It's up to you whether you want to lead a real rockstar life, with the party and flirty features, or a more tidy life, taking good care of your family, with all that free time. What's more, other sims will be able to "idolize" you, but only if you stay in your sim's home town. If you save yourself as a rockstar and leave, this interaction disappears.
    • • You will become Rockstar, no hours, no salary, possibility to sign autographs, the sims recognize you.

• • Music: Symphonic branch:

    • • My rating is 5/5
    • • Recommended traits: Bootlicker, artist, virtuoso, genius
    • • Metrics: Mood, Colleagues, Musical instruments (guitar predominates in case of equal skill with another instrument), Logic
    • • The elegant branch of the music offers itself to you. Here you can also sign autographs at the peak of your career. You work on fixed hours and therefore fixed salary. The uniform is pretty good for women during the whole career, much less for men. For a couple of sims, this career is perfect if combined with an investor in the other sim: no need for a baby sitter. Note that you can ride both logic and guitar by "studying music theory" at work.
    • • You will become a "soundtrack composer", schedule 1pm/6pm on W/M/W/S, salary 361§/hr, possibility to sign autographs, sims recognize you.

• • Journalism:

    • • My rating: 4/5
    • • Recommended traits: Charismatic, Bookworm, Artist
    • • Metrics: Mood, charisma, writing, articles and reviews (decreases with time)
    • • Journalism, like the police, will allow you to know the character traits of others, and this is a plus. You will also be able to "review" a restaurant or a sporting event. A negative review will increase your metric faster, but will ban you from the place for a week. You can also interview a sim, and, likewise, a negative review will increase your metric faster. But your common relationship will decrease by a whopping 45 points! Think about it. Apart from that, you can also rummage through the garbage before writing an article. At the end of your career, women's uniforms are nice, men's less so.
    • • You will become a news anchor, working hours L/Me/D/V, from 8am to 1pm, salary 383§/hr, increase 38§/hr, Opportunity to increase 125§/hr

• • Sports :

    • • My rating is 3/5
    • • Recommended form: Vampire
    • • Recommended traits: Bootlicker, athlete
    • • Metrics: Mood, Teammates, Athleticism, Game Log (decreases after 8 games)
    • • Particular career here too. Sports means little free time (Thursdays only), games, victory bonuses, autographs to sign from step 10 on. The reason why I rated this career severely is the impossibility to "work hard", the fact that it only allows one day of rest, and the game log, which barely full, goes down for the next season (seasons last 8 games, so 4 weeks). For the rest, it is rather nice, with the possibility to follow your matches in real time. Use the option "preparation for the next match" at least during a working day, and you will pulverize your opponents, with a big victory bonus.
    • • You will become a "sports legend", schedule 3pm/6pm on L/Ma/V/S, games at the same time on Me and D, salary 462/hr, increase 38/hr, possibility of signing autographs, sims recognize you.

• • Kitchen:

    • • My rating: 6/5
    • • Recommended form: None
    • • Recommended traits: Blue cord, boot licker
    • • Metrics: Kitchen, colleagues, boss, mood
    • • 6/5 is huge, but, not only does this career offer cool hours (at the end only), cool opportunities to complete, but most importantly, and this is why this career is so highly rated, you will receive the "minus one degree kelvin" refrigerator, which is a real WONDER. Not only will your food never go bad, but the quality of the food is HUGE. A simple perfectionist, with no ingredients or cooking skill bonuses will be able to prepare perfect meals from spaghetti (level 4 cooking skill). Do at least once this career to save the refrigerator in a house, which you will save in turn. Also you will often bring home quality dishes... In short, no pun intended, it's all good!
    • • You will become a five star chef, working hours 3pm/7pm on V/S/D, salary 350/hr, increase 33§/hr