A Bunch Of Jobs and Rewards

[Ghostmira]

Let's see, there were: Spa receptionist and Spa specialist, Bookstore and Grocery Clerk;
Fireman, Architect, Ghosthunter, PI;
Military, Science, Cooking, Astronomer(2 branches) Law Enforcement, Criminal, Game developer, Education, Medical;
Horseman, Fishing.

[LenaLJ]

Let's see, there were: Spa receptionist and Spa specialist, Bookstore and Grocery Clerk;
Fireman, Architect, Ghosthunter, PI;
Military, Science, Cooking, Astronomer(2 branches) Law Enforcement, Criminal, Game developer, Education, Medical;
Horseman, Fishing.

Is it just me or aren't you missing two jobs in order to reach 22 maxed jobs?

[Ghostmira]

Not just you! Totally right, but in my defense, it's been a very long day and also counting is hard.

I missed 2 on one of the kids (she was in progress of yet another career but didn't top it yet and I guess I overlooked them?) So sorry!
Anyway, she also Topped Music-symphonic and Sculpting. (making sculptures can be slow but you can do it at any time and store them til you're ready)

[Chare]

I actually didn't do an actual "test run" for this challenge...I dabbled in careers to see which I could level the fastest in order to get the kids aged up. I wished I had done a serious practice run. It would have helped iron out a lot of bugs with my strategy. The bulk of my strat was done on paper. It looked something like this:

Jack: Technology: Military; Law Enforcement x2
Judy: Science & Medicine: Science; Medical 
Ethan: Business: Nectar-making; Firefighter; Criminal x2; Business
Lisa: Communications: Alchemy; Investigator; Journalism; Politics
Arlo: Consignment sales; Writer
Darlene: Fine Arts: Ghost Hunter; Music x2; Culinary
Child #1: Part-time; Painter
Child #2: Part-time; Inventor

I paired by the Bunch Family with university majors because I planned on purchasing the honorary degree LTR so they would start at lvl 3 in their careers.  I wanted a sim to do all the consignment sales & complete the consignment skill journal challenges on, so I skipped over physical education major in favor of this. I used the profession careers as padding before the normal careers to help store up lifetime happiness points needed for the degree reward & because leveling the skills would also help level the professions they were in. I decided to place the double branch careers in front of the single ones because when I would start the new career, I would be entering at lvl 5. Alchemy & nectar-making are careers you can easily max within a day or two by buying elixirs & nectar out the consignment shops & reselling them. The horseman career is another career you can also do this with. I choose painting & inventing for the unborn Bunches as I was unsure how quick I could capped off careers in order to cake them up & I wanted them to be able to start on careers asap...

The plan in action:

I started by selling their home lot & I moved them closer to the library. I wanted the money for elixirs, nectar & supplies. I sent Jack to China for the inn's book stash, dry food, some incense burners & a training dummy & worked on skills. Next, I sent Judy to France. She purchased the nectar books & 60k worth of nectar from the Nectary & worked on skills. I sent Ethan to the consignment shop with the nectar & Lisa to the alchemy shop where she spent the rest of the family funds into maxing the alchemy career. Jack & Judy worked on baby-making then parted ways to level skills (Judy also started a garden with red berry beans & bought a horse). Darlene worked on her cooking skill & Arlo on his writing. I capped the alchemy career & hit lvl 9 in nectar-making on day 1. I planned on picking Swimming in Cash for Ethan & Lisa's LTW. I sent Arlo to the alchemy shop (before caking up) where he dumped 50k into sales in order to pop their LTW. With the LTHPs, I planned on purchasing Mid-Life Crisis so I could re-roll their traits. (Bookworm, Workaholic, Neurotic, Ambitious - Lisa: Perceptive - Ethan: Brave). Capped nectar-making the next day & caked up Arlo & Darlene. Again, LTW was swimming in cash (another 50k sale dump) with re-roll traits: Arlo: Bookworm, Perfectionist, Neurotic, Ambitious, Born Salesman - Darlene: Bookworm, Workaholic, Neurotic, Ambitious, Virtuoso...  When Jack & Judy saved up enough LTHP, I re-rolled their LTW to swimming in cash & did another 50k sale dump with a trait re-roll in mind of: Bookworm, Workaholic, Neurotic, Ambitious, Schmoozer.

Judy gave birth to twins, both girls, named Anna & Elsa. They also got the mid-life crisis treatment because I opted to keep them out of school in favor of career building. Elsa's traits: Eccentric, Workaholic, Neurotic, Ambitious, Lucky - Anna: Artistic, Workaholic, Neurotic, Ambitious, Lucky. Which ever girl finished their main career first would be entering the horseman career, hence the luck trait for winning races. They worked on the part-time careers together while doing their self-employed careers on the side.

At this point, my run kinda started falling apart. I got the flu & had a hard time focusing all the multitasking need to complete this challenge. I picked up the majors & the new trait: Schmoozer for Ethan, Lisa & Darlene...Jack & Judy: Genius. I goofed & entered Ethan into the business career without noticing until a couple promotions later. I think I also might have messed up my promotion cycles (every 3 days).  However, I managed to cap the following careers:

Alchemy; Nectar-making; Military; Ghost Hunter; Firefighter; Investigator; Bookstore Clerk; Science; Grocery Store Clerk; Mausoleum Clerk; Law Enforcement: DNA Profiler; Business; Spa Specialist; Receptionist; Painter; Journalism; Music: Composer; Law Enforcement: Super Spy; Medical; Horseman; Gardener

Other things to note, I stopped playing my challenge early. I was too tired & sickly to use up my vacation days & I ended up leaving them... I ran into glitch with the Firefighter career, Ethan never wanted to go put out fires. They all disappeared whenever I tried clicked on them. I should have picked a different career path for Arlo. I was off on capping writing by a lot. Maybe Education with gardening, fishing & consignment sales as a side adventure. Inventing...I'm undecided if I could have capped it or not. 

[MarianT]

Congratulations, Chare!

This was a tough one for me, and I should have done a practice run (or two). As soon as Judy had twins and the other children had A's, I sent Jack into the future to work on the Astronomy career. That used up almost all the vacation time, and there wasn't enough time for him to get both branches -- either you can't ask bosses for promotions in the future or you can't ask plumbots. I had Judy quit Science and take up Architecture with the intent that she would produce enough paintings to get that career, too. She maxed Architecture but not painting.
I wanted Lisa to get both Music careers and Band, but realized when she finished the first Music career that she would have about 2 hours to play for tips if she went for the second branch in Music, so she got only one branch of Music and Band. Darlene made a great firefighter, but I should have had her max her skills rather than put her in ghost hunting. Anyway, it was more fun than I suspected at first. I wanted another 2 weeks, but then everyone else would have done that much better.

[Nutella]

Congrats Chare, well done.

[Tandrael]

Congrats Chare!

I do have some questions, for anyone who did this challenge… as I couldn't finish it:

Did you let Judy finish the science career? I got to week 3 and she still hadn't finished it!

Jack is a "schmoozer" and I know -in theory- that the can schmooze their bosses and ask for promotions: how does that work in an actual game? I couldn't do that…

Can teens max a self-employed career?

How does the degree from the university work? I sent Jack, Ethan and Lisa to the university, but just for one week because of the time restriction of the challenge, they all passed with "flying colors" but when they went to work they barely improved one level… I think they just maxed the level they were in. They were already in level 3 of their career, should I have sent them to the university at the beginning of their career? Does the university give the first three levels? I thought it would give them three levels out of where they were… Or is it because they didn't get the degree, just one term?

I think that is all…  Thanks!

[Nutella]

I do have some questions, for anyone who did this challenge… as I couldn't finish it:

I didn't do this challenge but I could answer some questions.

Did you let Judy finish the science career? I got to week 3 and she still hadn't finished it!

Not sure what Chare did here, but from my experience if you skill up gardening, handiness, and fishing - you should be able to get one promotion in 2 work days.  Science career have 5 work hours, not enough to get promotion in one day without any help.  However if you have enough lifetime happiness points, you can always buy midlife crisis and make Judy a workaholic - that way she can work at home on computer and get promotion daily.  Ambitious trait helps too and also buying the multitasker reward helps.

Jack is a "schmoozer" and I know -in theory- that the can schmooze their bosses and ask for promotions: how does that work in an actual game? I couldn't do that…

You career bar has to be pretty high (I'm thinking 70% ) and you have to be good friends with your boss to ask for promotion.  I don't think the schmoozing works if your career bar is too low and you are not even friends with boss.

Can teens max a self-employed career? 

Yes.

How does the degree from the university work? I sent Jack, Ethan and Lisa to the university, but just for one week because of the time restriction of the challenge, they all passed with "flying colors" but when they went to work they barely improved one level… I think they just maxed the level they were in. They were already in level 3 of their career, should I have sent them to the university at the beginning of their career? Does the university give the first three levels? I thought it would give them three levels out of where they were… Or is it because they didn't get the degree, just one term?

If you get a degree from the university and come home with grade A, you will start the career at level 4 (based on which degree you get).  If you have grade B, then you start at level 3.  If you have grade C, then you start at level 2. 

If you are already at level 3 in the career, I don't see why you want to waste time sending them to university just to get grade A for that one level.  You could use the vacation time for into the future career, like astronomy, etc.  One term is not enough to get a degree with grade A, so I'm thinking you left uni with either grade C or grade B. 

[MomOfMany]

I have one question for Chare. Why the neurotic trait for all?

Tandrael I was under the impression that you had to get the degree in order to reap the benefits but I may be wrong. Also I thought you get you degree then went home and started the career at which time you would start at level 3 but again I don't know this for sure. I was unaware of any benefits if you where in the career already when attending university.  But I have no experience here as I have never tried it so maybe someone else will know.

Edited: someone with more experience beat me. Haha! But good I haven't played much with university. I didn't know teens could be self employed. I didn't think to try either just assumed they couldn't.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[Trip]

Not Chare, but neurotic sims can freak out, and the 8 hour moodlet that comes with it prevents the sim from getting stressed out. Good for rabbithole jobs, writing, and the like.

@Schmoozers: sims with that trait actually can ask for promotions earlier; instead of needing 75% of the progress bar filled, they need 40%. They still need to be friendly with their boss, but if you use the "Suck up to Boss" tone at work, schmoozers build the relationship quickly.

[Blackrosea]

Congratulations Chare on winning the challenge. Thank you for giving such a detailed description of what you did on the challenge. I am sure it has been extremely helpful for everyone.

[MomOfMany]

Thank you Trip! I knew about neurotics freaking out but I didn't know it prevents the stressed moodlet. Good to know! And I knew schmoozers could ask for promotions although I didn't know they could with that little progress on the bar. I thought it was still 75%.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[Chare]

Did you let Judy finish the science career? I got to week 3 and she still hadn't finished it!

I let her finish it. I can't remember exactly how long it took me... I capped at some point within the 2nd week. I'm sorry I can't be more accurate, but I know I was waiting for LTHP to built up for Change LTW...when for consignment sales to pop Swimming in Cash...in order to get the good traits to speed her through the career. In her down time, Judy worked on skill building gardening, handiness & fishing & building up her relationship up with her boss... When she had the girls, they were left in the care of a babysitter throughout their infant & toddler stages, freeing up Judy to work on her career.

Jack is a "schmoozer" and I know -in theory- that the can schmooze their bosses and ask for promotions: how does that work in an actual game? I couldn't do that…

My checklist/guide for successful promotions:

- Must be less than level 9 in the career
- Career performance @ least 75% (40% with the Schmoozer trait)
- Good relationship with boss (I prefer Best Friends status)
- Take note of when the 3 day lockout is up in between asking for promotions

If you are having trouble getting the interaction to show up, try using the 'Discuss Work' interaction first.

All the other answers were pretty much dead on so I have nothing more to add to them. 

[Deklitch]

My checklist/guide for successful promotions:

- Must be less than level 9 in the career
- Career performance @ least 75% (40% with the Schmoozer trait)
- Good relationship with boss (I prefer Best Friends status)
- Take note of when the 3 day lockout is up in between asking for promotions

Well that explains my problem when trying to be promoted ... I didn't know any of those four things. I just know I've only ever been able to receive a promotion once on any sim ever.

Out of interest, who kept the Bunches in their existing house and who moved them? I moved them, because I decided a different house could give up their garage for skilling objects and had other things around that could also be sold early on.

[Femke82]

I let them live in their own house, but I sold all thing I didn't need and build them a quite simple house. That left them with enough money to start.

I started the challenge file by having Jack and Judy make a child (needed twins for my plan to work, so I had the radio on children's station). I had Judy work on her gardening, fishing and handiness skill for the skill certificates. She also managed to max the gardening self employement career, but was just short on finishing the fishing career (she was at level 8 at the end). I made sure to get the kids to an A in school as soon as possible, I wanted to pick their traits (workaholic was a must). After Both Ethan and Lisa had a logic skill 5 I made them tutor their younger kids.

The careers that I did max:
Military, all 5 part-time jobs, Firefighter, Science, Culinair, Ghost Hunter, Private Investigator, Painting, Gardening, Film Career (Acteur for child #1 and director for child #2)

I did use all the vacation time, but had I done a proper test run, I would have made some changes in the careers. I didn't get so many career rewards from the Firefighter career as I expected, Judy didn't max her fishing career (should have fished more then I did), and I missed out on a few skill certificates by mistake (only maxed one of the skill on the last day, so didn't recieved a certificate, and I got the opportunity to learn a new skill from one of the careers, but only reached level 6 by the end, with a little more planning I could easily got to level 10 as I got the opportunity quite early)

I do have to remember that a degree bought with LTR als can be used, I forgot about this all together.

Femke82