The Self-Employed Career was introduced with The Sims 3 Ambitions as a way to track income earned by Skills outside of traditional jobs. Base Game Skills such as Writing, Gardening, Fishing and Painting were introduced alongside Ambitions Skills of Sculpting and Inventing. New Pack additions include; Nectar Maker, Photographer, Band, Equestrian, Alchemist, Scuba Diver, and Bot Builder.
The aim with these careers is to earn money from selling creations, collected items, or completing gigs and competitions in the case of Band and Equestrian respectively. The career bar will indicate how much money had been made and how much is required to gain a promotion. There are various thresholds dependent on the Skill but there are standard rewards at certain benchmarks. Being promoted to Level 5 will earn an additional $500, Level 7 brings $1500, Level 9 is $2500 and Level 10 gives $5000. Making $25,000 from your business will result in an award from City Hall similarly to Professions in Ambitions.
Curious which career pays best? Check out this post comparing all avenues and which ones will make your Sims richest!
Making the Most of Your Simpreneurship
As soon as your Sim reaches Level 1 of their Skill they can attend City Hall and Register as Self-Employed. It is then advisable to set up a space in their home where they can work undisturbed. Gardeners, Alchemists and Nectar Makers will want a protected space for growing their necessary ingredients. Anglers and Scuba Divers will spend most of their working time out in the field so make sure you are au fait with where the best spots are and where to sell your finds. Equestrians should make sure they have enough space for their horse and to train them. Racing Skill can be raised by letting your horse Gallop Around whereas Jumping will require equipment either at a local Ranch or on your Lot.
Once your Sim has somewhere to work, you can get started on making money. Writers will make money as soon as they start submitting chapters to publishers, Sports Books are the most lucrative for how quickly they can be written. Your Sim can work as often or as little as they like but it is the sole source of income so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have some kind of schedule. Gardeners will need to have steps in place to avoid having no income in the Winter months if you are playing with Seasons. I used a mix of items including planter bowls and roof decorations from Stones Throw Greenhouse on the Store, as well as planter bowls from Supernatural and the grass rugs from Into the Future. You can do without extra content simply by not placing floor tiles but this will result in the negative moodlet due to an unfinished room. To ensure your greenhouse is Season-proof, use flooring on the level of the roof to create a ceiling.
The Best Traits, Lifetime Rewards, and Lifetime Wish for being Self-Employed!
There are plenty of Lifetime Wishes that match up with Skills like Descendant of da Vinci, Perfect Garden, Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium, and more. A Born Salesperson will get more money and be more succesful when selling creations at the Consignment Store. Your Sim should make their interests profitable, so look for Green Thumbs, Savvy Sculptors and Artistic Sims to pursue this new way of working.
Lifetime rewards can be purchased with lifetime happiness points and the ones to look out for if you’re embarking on this profession are:
Super Green Thumb – 20,000
If you want to grow the best, most vibrantly delicious and organically superior plants, you Simply must go Super.
Artisan Crafter – 20,000
Artisan Crafters create higher quality inventions and sculptures that are more valuable when sold.
Extra Creative – 30,000
The finest paintings are created by those who are not only creative, but extra creative.
Accclaimed Author – 30,000
Earn bigger royalty checks for every book written… assuming you’re a writer