Most profitable self employment?

[Private Bob4]

What do you guys think is the best self employment career? Right now, it looks like business, but my hacker makes a lot, too. There also is the klepto, which you can get a couple million in about a month.

[Metropolis Man]

I would choose a guitarist with over 1000 compositions performed. It takes an iron stomach and a couple months of game time to achieve that. But, if you can get to that point you're looking at million dollar paydays on the weekend in front of the Theatre.

[Tealeaf]

I would guess that painting, with right rewards and traits and using the "fast painting" exploit would also be right up there.  Maybe not as much as the guitar thing once you work up to that.  But the painting doesn't take long to get up to level 10, and then you can be finishing large canvasses in around a game time hour.  Very profitable, if boring.

[kat]

As an on the side job, Klepto is personally one of my favourites. Yes it is very unpredictable and you might end up with 3 sets of curtains in one night, and there is a limit, but it is a nice little cashy that doesnt take much time, and can easily be a 2nd job to earn a little extra on top of your main income.

[Edit:  Thanks, kat!  -Pam]

[TGBlank]

As far as I know, collecting + transfigurification wins money-wise by a far far margin. It is an extremely unfun task to do, though.

If you want self-employment money without brain damage for repeatedly ordering a Sim to run->collect/cancel compositions/cancel paintings, then I'd go with either writing + business or painting + business.

[Pam]

I would choose a guitarist with over 1000 compositions performed. It takes an iron stomach and a couple months of game time to achieve that. But, if you can get to that point you're looking at million dollar paydays on the weekend in front of the Theatre.

Have you actually gotten to 1,000 compositions yet?

[jestina]

I don't think anything can touch guitar. Even with just a couple hundred performances I could make 25k on a lazy afternoon in front of the theater.

I can't compete with Metro though. 

[Metropolis Man]

Have you actually gotten to 1,000 compositions yet?

I've taken it past 1k two times actually. It's really tough to do that. Players were complaining  of the monotony of the nectar challenge. Training a guitarist with the exploit is a whole new level of craziness. But, standing in front of the Theatre with 30 Sims and seeing individual tips of 10k + dropped in the case is just too cool.

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EDIT: I got to thinking a little more about the guitar vs painting exploit. There's an enormous difference isn't there? With the painting exploit you're not required to do anything more to increase the value of your paintings. It's just a pure and simple shortcut to finishing a painting. At least with the guitar exploit you're required to put in the legwork of cueing up the compositions. It's like an extra step.

[TGBlank]

I don't think anything can touch guitar. Even with just a couple hundred performances I could make 25k on a lazy afternoon in front of the theater.

On the centurian solo challenge thread, you can find:

And, end of week 3, this is where it gets interesting:
Metals found: 81
Compendium value: 41 million simoleons.

Which having i continued it, it would've hit 500~900 million by week 4, reaching the money cap of the game halfway week 5.

[lovergirl]

My favorite money maker is photography . For example I spent 7,000 dollars, but I earned 100,000 dolars! I love it. For a single photo such as Dragon Cave, The Nectary I spent around 100 bucks, but I earned 8,000 dollars for each photo.

[jestina]

I haven't tried photography all the way yet...I was getting bored with it and not making anything. Maybe i'll give it another go.

Collecting takes too much effort so i'll pass on that one.

[TGBlank]

Photography requires some effort, and you don't start seeing decent numbers until it hits 10. Once it does however, a quick jog around town taking a photo of each landmark nets a nice amount of money; not as much as painting or guitar with the canceling trick but it does net more than those 2 without the trick.
On vacation it does net more money daily, as each daily photo of a big vacation landmark is worth at least 5k once you complete the landmark-related challenge (and a first photo of those with the challenge completed is easily worth more than 10k, more with the 75 subjects challenge).

[Swede1992]

If I were to say the "best" self-employment I would pick investments. Sure it needs money in the start and maybe you don't get as much money as with Metro's skill exploits, but it is enough to support even the most expensive family on the block without anyone needing to do anything (except driving around the town with your sportscar once every 2-3 weeks and picking up the cash). All my guy ever does anymore is going on one lavish holiday after another over and over again .

[Metropolis Man]

I like investments as well, Swede. It would be cool if there were some more complex economic algorithms that took into account town growth and shrinkage. If there's a ton of Sims in town, then logically, your investments should earn you more than a flat weekly amount because more Sims would be stimulating the economy.

[Swede1992]

Or, if a modder is extremely skillful, combine SimCity and The Sims! You live as in The Sims, but you can part by part buy parts of the town; buy and demolish your neighbour's house and build a shopping mall! This should definitely go into the sim improvement ideas!