If you want to afford anything in The Sims 4, you need to get a job. Thankfully, The Sims 4 offers a wide range of careers you can choose from, that will match your Sim’s personality and aspirations. From Actor, Detective, Athlete, Scientist, and even Astronaut, there is something for everyone!
However, to make the most of your career, you need to follow some steps. This may sound intimidating but don’t worry about it. In this article, we’ve compiled the Top 25 Sims 4 Career Tips for you. With these tips, you’ll never have to worry about keeping up with your career.
25. Study hard
Focus on studying and building your future.
Just like in real life, in The Sims 4 how hard you study while you’re a Teen impacts your future as a Young Adult. In order to improve their grades, Sims have to go to school Focused, complete their homework, do extra credit work, work hard in class, and get extra performance boosts from chance cards that randomly pop up while the Sim is still at school. Depending on the grade they graduate with, your Sim can start their chosen career a level ahead. This means that grade-B students will start their career at Level 2, while grade-A students will start at Level 3. For example, normal Sims will start their Athlete Career as a Waterperson, Grade B as Locker Room Attendant, and Grade A as a Team Mascot.
24. Start young
Make your own money by working as a teen.
In The Sims 4, the earliest your Sim can start working is when they are a Teen. There are 5 official part-time jobs in the Base Game, such as Babysitter, Barista, Fast Food Employee, Manual Labor, and Retail Employee. A teen in an after-school activity such as Cheer, Football, Chess, or Computer teams can still get a part-time job if the times don't conflict. Getting a part-time job as a Teen is essential because it helps your Sim gain experience and skill that will transfer into Adulthood. For example, your Sim can work part-time as a Manual Laborer, gain the handiness skill, and when they’re adults, they can work as an Engineer.
23. Choose a compatible career
Choose a carrier based on your Sim's traits.
When choosing a career for your Sims, it's very important to be aware of your Sim's traits because it is crucial for their success in that field of work. For example, if your Sim has the Active Trait, your Sim is going to enjoy performing physical tasks and exercising, leading to better performance in jobs like Secret Agent, Military, and Athlete. But having a career that is not associated with your Sim's traits is possible. Having a trait for a specific career makes your Sim to be naturally inclined to that specific profession, but it is not a rule. Sims can succeed in careers with or without a specific trait, even though it makes it easier.
22. Build relevant skills
Work hard and advance your career.
Building relevant skills is mandatory for your Sim to advance in their career and it is not that hard, it only takes time. If you want your Sim to advance faster and get promotions, you also need to complete career-related aspirations to increase your job performance and to look for opportunities like taking on additional tasks or special assignments at work. All of these combined, will take your Sim's career to the next level. For example, if you want to have an amazing career in business, you will need to improve your Charisma skill, this skill can also benefit your Sim in sales and networking. For building a certain skill, for example, Charisma, your Sim must engage in activities like socializing with other Sims, watching the Charisma skill channel, and reading skill books that focus on Charisma.
21. Attend work focused and energized
Maintain a focused mind for better job performance.
Attending work focused brings a lot of good outcomes for your Sims. It leads to better job performance, career advancement, and skill development. Better job performance can lead to receiving rewards like unique objects and monetary bonuses. Being focused leads to skill development and increasing chances for promotion. Attending work energized helps with reducing your Sim's stress and increasing their productivity. Having higher energy levels allows your Sims to complete the given tasks faster and with more excitement. Attending work focused and energized go hand in hand and it has only benefits for your Sims career.
20. Complete daily tasks
Daily tasks are very important for productivity.
Completing daily tasks at work is directly contributing to your Sim’s performance and promotion, so it is a very important activity. A very easy way to see your Sim's daily tasks at work is to click on the career icon in the Sim's career panel. You should prioritize the most important tasks so your Sim is going to do them in the given time frame. Your Sim's mood is going to affect their performance in completing daily tasks, so an energized and focused Sim will have a better chance at completing daily tasks. The same applies when it comes to taking care of their basic needs because it will boost their performance and therefore make it easier to focus on their tasks.
19. Boost moods with certain objects
Boost your moods using everyday objects.
Certain objects can boost your Sim's performance by changing their mood. Some items that are going to make your Sims energized therefore also helping in their profession of choice are Exercise Bike or Treadmill, Coffee Maker or Espresso Machine, and Stereo. Using these items will make a great impact on your Sims energy levels. Another way to boost your Sim's performance is sending them to work while being Confident. The Mirror is the item that allows your Sim to interact and practice confident poses and give themselves pep talks. Another item is Motivational Posters, having the same positive effect as the Mirror.
18. Get Vacation Days
Charge your batteries by taking a well-deserved vacation.
In real life, the stress of work, monotony, and problems add up. This is called burnout and this can happen to your Sim as well. There is a solution to this problem and it works in both worlds. Vacation days have an amazing effect on your Sims, but taking too many vacation days also has some drawbacks. One of these negative effects is losing the job if you miss work 2 days in a row without telling someone. Taking a vacation is the solution to burnout and it is very effective and easy to do. The first step is to click on the Sim that you want, then select the "Take Vacation Day" option from the phone menu. This option allows your Sims to take a day off from school or work.
17. Use the Work Hard Interaction
Work Hard Interaction lets you work harder than last time.
There are a lot of interactions associated with your Sim's career, and the one that helps with advancing it is of course the Work Hard Interaction. This interaction is very easy to use, you just need to click on your Sim's workplace icon and select the Work Hard option. The Work Hard Interaction can also be used for homework and work projects. This interaction is going to increase your Sim's performance and chance to get a promotion. Using this interaction also has some drawbacks. You must take care of your Sim's basic needs because this interaction is very demanding and at the end of the day, your Sim will come home stressed and exhausted.
16. Explore other interactions
Play with and explore new interactions in the work place.
When it comes to work, The Sims 4 offers a large variety of ways for your Sim to interact, and using them has the potential to improve your Sims career. Some of these interactions are Work Hard, Chat with Coworkers, Leave Early, and Take it Easy. Chatting with coworkers and Taking it easy will improve your Sim’s mood and social skills, but will decrease their performance. The same applies to Leaving early, but in addition, your Sim will have reduced pay, and if you abuse this option, they could get fired.
15. Use a Crystal Crown
Crystal Crown is a very affective weapon when it comes to performance.
Another tool for boosting work performance is the Crystal Crown that is featured in the Get Famous extension pack. This Crystal Crown uses crystals that are found as collectible objects in Sims 4. Rare crystals can be found by digging and the rarer the crystal, the greater the benefits. Even if the Crystal Crown has a battery life, you have plenty of time to play around, don't forget to take it off when it shows a red light. One of the crystals that can be placed in the Crown and boosts work performance is the Hematite crystal and it doubles career performance and fulfills fun needs. Nitelite is another crystal that boosts performance, boosts skill gains at night time, and fulfills all the needs but energy. Using these crystals and more will help your Sims to focus on work and boost their performance.
14. Decorate your office
Having a nice office brings inspiration and creativity.
If your Sim has the type of career that allows them to work from home, they must have a properly stacked and decorated office for better performance. For example, if your Sim is a programmer, the latest and the greatest technology will offer them the opportunity to work and gain skills faster. This can be accomplished by buying him the best computer possible. The same applies if your Sim aspires to be a writer or a painter. Writers and painters work better and more productively when they are Inspired. Decorating your art studio or writing office with beautiful art for your Sim to look at, will make him inspired therefore leading to better job performance.
13. Have a bookshelf in your house
Open a book from time to time and improve your skills.
A bookshelf is one of the most important items to have in your house because it checks off lots of things. Not only is it a great piece of furniture because it is aesthetically pleasing, but also because it helps your Sim in many ways. By having a bookshelf, you can learn skills easily. All you have to do is buy the books you want about any skill, and as your Sim reads, their skill will increase. This is very helpful for your Sim’s career. Also, certain books can put your Sim in a better mood, which is necessary for a great workday and increased productivity.
12. Make the most of your time off
Be smart about your Vacation days and enjoy them truly.
Yes, Vacation days are very important when it comes to increasing work productivity and not having a stressed Sim. However, managing your Sim’s life without having to take Vacation days can benefit you in the long run. If your Sim doesn’t take vacation days, they will have more time to work so that they reach Level 10 in their career faster. When they reach that level, they will have already accumulated many Vacation days. Now your Sim will have a longer Vacation and, on top of that, they’ll get more money on this time off because their salary is higher. You can then take your Sim on a Vacation without having to worry about money or the next promotion.
11. Make Connections
Develop high social skills for more and better work opportunities.
Knowing the right people can help you advance in your career, especially if you’re trying to be a celebrity. Sims with a “great” reputation will be offered opportunities like job offers that let them start at higher career levels, and also the ability to form Romantic relationships at higher levels from the start. To help you with this, you can also buy the “Connections” Trait that will help you start a career at Level 4, instead of 1 or 2. This way, it will be a lot easier and faster to get to the last level of your career.
10. Use mods
Use mods to diversify your career choices.
Although The Sims 4 offers a wide range of careers, you could get bored of them quickly. This is where mods come in handy. You can add some spice to your Sim’s professional life with a simple download. There are many mods you can choose from, depending on your preference. You can be a Mortician, Chocolatier, Auto Repair Tech, Daycare worker, Pharmacist, and many more. You definitely won’t get bored after you try these mods.
9. Start a business
Become an entrepreneur and start a business.
If you don’t want to work for someone, don’t worry. You can be your own boss by buying a business. This involves some investing at first, as you need money to buy the business, so you might want to work for a bit before deciding to become your own boss. You can choose to buy a pre-built business or build your own from scratch. After that, you need to transfer money into the business to build, stock items, and cover employee salaries. As a business owner, you can sell things created by you, clothes, or baked goods. Before your store makes a profit, you should work by yourself, but after that, you can hire people. Employees start at $19/hour and may go up to $51/hour and more when promoted.
8. Stand up to Workplace Rivals
Take action and deal with your Workplace Rivals.
In The Sims 4, you can randomly have a Workplace Rival, even if you are on good terms with your colleagues. While your Sim is at work, a notification will simply appear saying that a rivalry has begun. You should take care of it as soon as possible because it stands in the way of your Sim getting a promotion. There are 2 ways of solving this, outside of work and at work. To solve it at work, your Sim must choose the option to Befriend Work Rival or Sabotage Work Rival. Both of these will decrease work performance, but the rivalry might stop at the end of the work day. To solve it outside of work, your Sim should invite over the rival and try to befriend them.
7. Have a Utility Sim
Find someone to do the chores while you are relaxing.
Living alone in The Sims 4 is great, but it could be a bit challenging. There isn’t enough time in the day to go to cook, clean, and have fun, all while holding a full-time job. Here is where a Utility Sim comes in handy. If someone else lives with you, you can make them do chores around the house, while your main Sim goes to work. When your Sim comes home, they won’t have to worry about doing chores. Instead, they can relax from a hard day of work. Also, a Utility Sim can work as a friend or a lover, so your Sim won’t have to go out to socialize with others when they don’t have time.
6. Cheat
Just use cheats so you don't have to worry about your career.
Yes, there are cheats for everything in The Sims 4, and Career Cheats are no exception. If you want the money and perks without putting in the work, you can always cheat your way to the top. Just enable cheats, and then type in careers.promote, followed by the name of your career. This will promote your Sim to the next level, so if you want level 10, you have to type in the cheat multiple times. There are also other career-related cheats, such as careers.retire {careername}. This retires your Sim at any age, and they will receive a pension every week. Type in careers.promote PartTime_{careername} to advance your Sim in their part-time career.
5. Hold off on kids
Focus on your career and then on children.
Kids add happiness to your life, but maybe you shouldn’t have them too early. Having kids in The Sims 4 brings some benefits, such as getting family leave, but there’s a little life hack you can do to make the most out of that family leave. While on family leave, you get the salary at the end of the day. However, all your promotion tasks and bar will be on hold, so you won’t be able to get a promotion fast. What you can do instead is, you can have kids after you’ve reached the last level of promotion. This way, your salary is way bigger, and you won’t have to worry about getting your promotions delayed.
4. Ask for a promotion
Just ask for a promotion, you got nothing to lose.
In order for your Sim to get a promotion, they need to complete Promotion Tasks and have the Performance Bar completed. However, for a faster alternative, you just need to ask your boss. It’s not 100% sure that it will work, but it’s worth a try. All you have to do is to make sure first that your Performance Bar is at least 75% completed. Invite your boss over and start talking to them in order to befriend them. Choose “Enthuse” options, because those never get boring. When you’ve become good friends or best friends, you’ll have the option to Discuss Work, and then Ask For Promotion. Hopefully, your boss will accept that.
3. Use reward perks
Use your aspiration points wisely so you can get a promotion faster.
As Sims fulfill their aspiration goals or whims, they earn aspiration points. Many people don’t take aspiration points seriously, but they are a really useful feature in the game. They come in the form of Potions to help with minor difficulties, or in the form of Traits. In this particular case, getting the Entrepreneurial Trait is really useful, because it makes Sims get promoted faster. You can combine it with some potions, such as Focused Potion, Sleep Replacement, or Happy Potion to improve those needs fast.
2. Maintain a work-life balance
Make sure your Sims have relaxing experiences for a better job performance.
Just like in real life, it is important for your Sim to maintain a good work-life balance. This will ensure that your Sim is in a good mood and will improve work performance. Make sure your Sim does the things that they love after or before work so that they won’t be stressed. You should keep an eye on your Sim’s mood, to make sure they aren’t overworked. If they come home stressed after work, consider giving them a nice, relaxing bath to help with that. Additionally, make sure that your Sim’s social needs are met by going out to the park, a lounge, or just hanging out with a friend.
1. Volunteer
Volunteering helps society and also your career by improving your mood and reputation.
In The Sims 4, your Sim has 5 different volunteering activities they can choose from: Volunteering at a Bake Sale, a Beach Cleanup, a Nursing Home, a Soup Kitchen, or Walking to Fight Disease. These activities can be accessed easily through the phone, and can even be done by the whole family. Volunteering can put your Sim in a great mood and can make them feel fulfilled. This will help with your Sim’s career because it improves their job performance. Also, volunteering increases a good reputation, which is great for those who are working towards being famous.
