There are a lot of careers available in The Sims 4. Even without the numerous careers that come with the Expansion Packs, the base game alone offers a generous selection of jobs, from creative to technical, athletic to corporate. With so many careers to choose from, sometimes it can be hard to decide which one to go for. However, some careers are better than others. Some are fantastic, while others aren’t so good.
I’ve already done a ranking of all the Expansions, Game Pack, Stuff Packs, and Kits in The Sims 4, as well as the worlds and festivals, but I haven’t covered careers yet, and now I think it’s high-time I do so. I’m going to rank all 34 careers in The Sims 4, focusing on the full-time careers, including those added in Expansion, Game, and Stuff Packs.
This is my personal opinion, so you may or may not agree with the order here, but this ranking is based on how much I enjoy the careers, how often I feel compelled to do them, and generally how good they are.
34. Military (StrangerVille Game Pack)
The only reason I put the Military career last on this list is because I don’t currently own The Sims 4 StrangerVille Game Pack. I can’t exactly rate it if I’ve never done it! I would really love to get StrangerVille one day (soon!) though. For now though, this is where it has to go.
Until I’ve played StrangerVille, the Military career can’t be ranked.
33. Civil Designer (Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack)
In terms of careers I actually have played in The Sims 4, the Civil Designer career from The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack comes in last place. I’ve hardly played this career, or much of the general gameplay from Eco Lifestyle, as it’s my least favorite Expansion. It’s a shame because the idea of being a Civil Designer sounds interesting, but I can never get past the first level.
I’m not a big fan of Eco Lifestyle, including the Civil Designer career.
32. Interior Decorator (Dream Home Decorator Game Pack)
Although I genuinely enjoy redecorating my Sims’ homes, for some reason the Interior Decorator career from The Sims 4 Dream Home Decorator Game Pack just seems like too much work. I’ve never actually actively done it before. I did try starting it once, but when I saw how much was involved, I was turned off. I love interior decorating, but this just feels too overcomplicated.
It’s not just The Sims 4 either. I remember trying out the same career from The Sims 3 Ambitions and couldn’t really get into that either. I think there’s a difference between redecorating your household’s home for fun and doing it for a gig for another Sim.
I like interior decorating, but not the career.
31. Park Worker (Adventure Awaits Expansion Pack)
When the Park Worker career was first revealed for The Sims 4 Adventure Awaits Expansion Pack, I was quite excited. The idea of working at a kids camp sounded like a cool concept. However, the execution was a disappointment.
First off, this is a rabbithole career, which to me feels like a totally wasted opportunity. Secondly, the work schedule is just weird. At every shift, your Sim heads off to work for several days in a row. This makes it awkward if your Sim is single and has young kids or pets at home that need caring for. It also makes getting promoted very difficult, as you only have one shot to get your performance up enough to level up.
Generally, the Park Worker career should have been an active career, and the work is too inconsistent. A shame because this could have been excellent.
Why wasn’t the Park Worker career an active one?
30. Engineer (Discover University Expansion Pack)
The Engineer career is the lowest ranking of the three from The Sims 4 Discover University Expansion Pack mainly because I’m not that into the Robotics activity. It’s interesting enough, but getting all the resources needed to build robots is tedious and it seems to take ages to level up the skill. Generally, not a bad career, but certainly not my favorite or a go-to.
The robots in The Sims are cool, but the Engineer career isn’t for me.
29. Business (Base Game)
The Business career is the first from The Sims 4 base game to make it onto this list. It’s my lowest ranking just because it doesn’t feel as exciting as the other careers. I also struggle with leveling up the Charisma Skill, which is key in the Business career. It’s not a bad career choice, but there’s just others that are more interesting to go for.
The business career isn’t bad necessarily, just not as good as others.
28. Politician (City Living Expansion Pack)
The Politician career from The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack is the lowest ranking from that pack. It’s not a bad career. It’s quite interesting, as you get to choose which cause to support and promote, then rally other Sims to join your cause and start protests around the city. I just personally prefer the Social Media and Critic careers over this one.
The Politician career is fine, but I prefer the other two city careers.
27. Athlete (Base Game)
I quite like the Athlete career, available with the base game of The Sims 4. I like getting my Sims fit and active, and the career outfits are also fun and some of my favorites. I don’t tend to go for this career very often, which is why I rank it lower on this list, but again, it’s not a bad one to do.
I like the outfits that come with the Athlete career, and it’s fun to do, but it’s not a favored one.
26. Salaryperson (Snowy Escape Expansion Pack)
It’s been a while since I played the Salaryperson from The Sims 4 Snowy Escape Expansion Pack. One of the things that usually puts me off is the amount of hours you have to put in, but I honestly don’t remember this being an issue before when I did it. As a corporate career, I put this over the base game’s Business career. It’s a little more interesting.
While still not a favorite, I do rate Salaryperson over the Business career.
25. Law (Discover University Expansion Pack)
Being a lawyer in The Sims 4 sounds appealing, and with Discover University, you do get to play an active role. I like the fact that you have to pass a lawyer’s exam for one promotion, which I thought was a nice touch.
Most of the time, I find the WFH tasks to be about finding new Sims to represent or attending repositions. It’s quite an interesting career, but I wish it was a little more involved, like the active careers from Get to Work. Imagine heading to court to grill witnesses and suspects.
The Law career is okay, but it could have been a full-scale active career.
24. Social Media (City Living Expansion Pack)
I’ll admit, I don’t get involved with social media much in real life, but I do quite like the Social Media career from The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack. At every promotion, you have to gather more followers, which is hard work but still fun to do. I kind of wish we had more computer interactions available, such as doing livestreams. The current interactions feel a bit vague, and there’s no way of telling how well they’ll do.
Building up followers is a key task with the Social Media career.
23. Secret Agent (Base Game)
You can’t deny that the idea of being a Secret Agent is pretty cool, which is exactly what you can do in The Sims 4 base game. It’s a shame that this wasn’t made into an active career, as this came out before they were such a thing. Maybe one day that might change?
If only the Secret Agent career was an active one!
22. Entertainer (Base Game)
The Entertainer career is another that could have benefitted from being an active career. In fact, all careers in The Sims 4 could receive this treatment, but here we are. Nevertheless, the Entertainer career is a good one to go for if you have Sims who enjoy playing music or are good at telling jokes, entertaining folks. My only real gripe, which is minor, is for promotions, they only focus on the piano and violin. Why not the guitar as well?
The Entertainer career is for you if you like playing to audiences, whether it’s music or comedy.
21. Undertaker (Life & Death Expansion Pack)
The Undertaker career from The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion sounds a bit grim, but it’s not as bad as you think. It is a traditional rabbithole career, but for this one, I don’t actually mind. It’s not typically a go-to career for me though. I’ve only done it once when I first played Life & Death.
Although not as good as the Reaper career, the Undertaker career shouldn’t be overlooked.
20. Writer (Base Game)
I love to write, so naturally, I like the Writer career from The Sims 4 base game. I like how the branches allow you to choose to either be a journalist or a novelist, but in my opinion, why can’t you do both? You could still write novels while writing articles though. It seems odd that this one hasn’t made it higher on my list, but there’s just other careers I feel are better and a little more interesting.
If you enjoy writing, you’ll naturally be drawn to the Writer career.
19. Culinary (Base Game)
I really enjoy cooking in The Sims 4. One of the first skills I work on with Sims is building up their Cooking Skill, so I can unlock more recipes. I also find being a professional chef quite interesting, although if you wanted to make it active, you’d probably run a restaurant with the Dine Out Game Pack.
The only part of the Culinary career that doesn’t really interest me that much is the Mixology side of it. I find this skill hard to build up.
Turn a passion for cooking or drink making into a career.
18. Style Influencer (Base Game)
The Style Influencer career didn’t initially come shipped with The Sims 4. It was added in later for free with an update, among many, many other things. The addition of the Style Influencer career was a welcome one for me. I love creative careers in The Sims 4, including this one. You do have to work on several skills to get promoted, but it’s still fun and feels rewarding. I don’t tend to do this one very often, but on reflection, I’d quite like to.
The Style Influencer career is great if you’re creative and want to build many skills up.
17. Education (Discover University Expansion Pack)
The Education career is my favorite from The Sims 4 Discover University Expansion Pack. I like the idea of being a teacher, or even being a professor or working in administration, so this one is quite appealing. Although it’s not an active workplace career, you can choose to WFH.
With the Education career, you can be a teacher, professor, and administrator.
16. Noble (Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack)
I was generally sceptical about the Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack before it came out, but was quickly pleasantly surprised at how good it was, including the new Noble career. This essentially allows your Sim to climb the ranks and eventually (and potentially) be ruler of their kingdom. I had a lot of fun with this career.
However, it does have a few drawbacks. Enrolling in the career isn’t as straightforward as selecting it from the Join a Career option, and neither is getting promoted. I understand why these mechanics are in place, to make it more realistic, but it does make it slightly more tedious. Still, perhaps the Noble career was designed to be different from the others in The Sims 4.
Despite some of its drawbacks, the Noble career is pretty good.
15. Reaper (Life & Death Expansion Pack)
I couldn’t believe it when they announced that you could actually play as a Reaper in The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. It almost didn’t seem real – but it was! I’ve only done this career once, but I had a lot of fun doing it, and wouldn’t mind at all giving it another go someday. My only main issue was only dealing with one soul per day. Couldn’t we have squeezed in a second?
I had a lot of fun doing the Reaper career.
14. Naturopath (Enchanted by Nature Expansion Pack)
I initially wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the Naturopath career in The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature Expansion Pack, but as it turns out, I did. It’s an active work-from-home career, and you only deal with one client per shift, but the way this career works, that’s totally fine. You’re kept comfortably busy without feeling overwhelmed. I just wish the clients wouldn’t keep wandering off in my Sim’s home!
I like the Naturopath career, but sometimes the clients can be a pain in your home.
13. Freelancer (Base Game/Eco Lifestyle/Paranormal Stuff/Moschino Stuff)
The Freelancer career is generally a popular choice in The Sims 4, and fortunately, it’s available with the base game. You can initially pick from three different professions: writer, artist, and programmer. With additional packs though, you can be a maker, fashion photographer, and paranormal investigator. I personally prefer the base game professions, although the programmer tasks can take much longer.
The DLC Freelancer careers are good, but the original base game ones are probably the best.
12. Critic (City Living Expansion Pack)
Of the three City Living careers, the Critic career is easily my favorite. You can eventually choose to specialize in food or art, but both are great. I have a lot of fun playing this career, and often go with working from home simply because the tasks are so good to do.
Whether you’re a critic of art or food, this is a good career to get involved with.
11. Scientist (Get to Work Expansion Pack)
I have to admit, for years, I’ve never ever done the Scientist career from The Sims 4 Get to Work Expansion Pack. I don’t know why. It just didn’t appeal to me the same as the Doctor and Detective careers. I didn’t think I’d like it, so I didn’t bother. However, before doing this ranking, I knew I had to give it a go – and I absolutely loved it!
I feel so annoyed that I never bothered to do it until now, but better late than never. I honestly had a great time sending my Sim to the lab, conducting experiments and inventing new things. Plus, the variety of tasks available means the shifts never get boring.
Although I rank this Get to Work career lower than the other two, I still think it’s excellent and the trio make the whole Expansion well worth getting.
There’s lots of fun to be had with the Scientist career.
10. Detective (Get to Work Expansion Pack)
I’m not the biggest detective buff, but I do find the Detective career from Get to Work fascinating and extremely engaging. It can sometimes feel a tad repetitive in its formula; you visit a crime scene, gather evidence, deduct the criminal, arrest and then interrogate them to get a confession. It’s fine at first, but I wish there was a bit more variety sometimes. You can also complete tasks around the station.
I just quickly want to make a point about the three work places in Get to Work. Whoever designed the hospital, police station, and science lab did a fantastic job, making these places look and feel so real in their day-to-day function.
The Detective career really does make you feel like a detective as you solve crimes.
9. Criminal (Base Game)
I’m surprised myself at how highly I’ve put the Criminal career on this list. I guess it’s interesting playing a shadier career for a change in The Sims 4. I’m especially attracted to the branch involving the Programming Skill. I just love that outfit you unlock as well.
Playing the Criminal career allows you to partake in shadier activity in The Sims 4.
8. Conservationist (Island Living Expansion Pack)
The Conservationist career from The Sims 4 Island Living Expansion Pack is very much an active one – and an excellent one at that. I love completing the work-from-home tasks, especially if they involve traveling to Mua Pel’am and cleaning the place up. With enough work, you can really transform the area and turn it into a verdant paradise. It’s just an all-round rewarding career, especially if you reside in Sulani.
Being a Conservationist is just so rewarding.
7. Romance Consultant (Lovestruck Expansion Pack)
The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack was one of those that really surprised me when it came out, being far better than I expected. The vibrant, exotic world of Ciudad Enamorada, collecting the cute axolotls, and then there’s the Romance Consultant career. I had tons of fun with this one. I especially like the blouse you unlock early on from a promotion.
Being a Romance Consultant is great fun.
6. Painter (Base Game)
As an artistic career, Painter is up there as one of my favorites from The Sims 4. I just enjoy sending my Sims to paint at easels, and this career gives me a really good excuse to do that.
Being a Painter is perfect if you love painting in The Sims 4.
5. Tech Guru (Base Game)
As someone interested in gaming and technology, the Tech Guru career really appeals to me. You can eventually choose to focus on being a pro gamer or have your own start up, whether you prefer video gaming or programming. Either way, this is a great career for Sims who are generally glued to their computers.
Whether it’s gaming or programming, the Tech Guru career will appeal to these Sims.
4. Astronaut (Base Game)
Of all the base game careers in The Sims 4, beating some really good ones, the Astronaut career takes the top spot on this list, even reaching number 4! I’m not hugely into space or astronomy, but I just find this career really fun to do. To be honest, it’s just a good excuse for me to build the rocket ship and travel to space, which is probably one of the coolest things you can do in The Sims 4.
Being an Astronaut means traveling to space in your own rocket ship.
3. Gardener (Seasons Expansion Pack)
We’ve now made it to my top 3 favorite all-time careers in The Sims 4, starting with the Gardener career from The Sims 4 Seasons. There’s a lot to like about this Expansion. For me, apart from enjoying the seasons as they roll by, I adore the Gardener career. I quite enjoy gardening in The Sims 4, planting and growing all manner of things; fruit, veg, herbs, flowers. It’s just relaxing to do, as well as profitable. Doing it as a career is a bonus for me.
I especially adore the Flower Arranging skill that came with Seasons. You can put together all kinds of different arrangements, and then add colorful vases to complete the look. It’s one of my favorite creative activities in The Sims 4. I love both branches of the Gardener career, but I generally steer towards Botanist so I can put the Flower Arranging activity to good use.
I enjoy being a Gardener in The Sims 4, as well as Flower Arranging.
2. Actor (Get Famous Expansion Pack)
I’m not big on the Celebrity system in The Sims 4 Get Famous Expansion Pack, but with the Actor career, it’s a different story. I absolutely love this one, which is why it’s my second favorite in the whole series.
Being an Actor in The Sims 4 is great fun. The auditioning part is a tad tedious, and having to wait to go to your gig and prepare for it, but once you head to the studio, this is when the magic really happens. You get fitted into your wardrobe and hair-and-make-up, and then it’s time to hit the stage.
I love how varied the different gigs are, whether you’re doing a commercial, a TV show, or even a blockbuster movie. I love the different set designs. Like the work places from Get to Work, someone did a really fantastic job with each of these.
The whole vibe of the Actor career is just fabulous, especially when you spend a day at the studio filming. It’s just so electric. You don’t want it to end, so it sucks when the shift ends. I simply cannot wait to start my next acting job!
Being an Actor is one of the most fun careers in The Sims 4.
1. Doctor (Get to Work Expansion Pack)
We’ve made it to my number one favorite career in The Sims 4, and it’s pretty much been so since Get to Work was first released about 10 years ago: the Doctor career. I just absolutely love this career so much. It’s my top go-to career and I never miss an opportunity to follow my Sim to a shift at the hospital.
It’s one of those careers I love working from the bottom level up, starting off doing small tasks around the hospital until you’re given much bigger responsibilities. I enjoy every second I’m at work here. It can be admittedly frustrating trying to diagnose Sims at times, if machines keep breaking down or your Sim is generally having an off day, but that’s all part of the experience.
I wouldn’t change a thing about this career, and for the foreseeable future, it’s going to remain my all-time favorite of The Sims 4.
Although there are a lot of great careers in The Sims 4, the Doctor career is my personal favorite.
That completes this ranking. It honestly wasn’t easy doing this list, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while and I had a lot of fun going through all the careers. To me, careers make up a lot of my gameplay in The Sims 4, so picking a career I enjoy is important. It’s not always about how much money you make, but how rewarding it feels and how it matches your Sim’s personality, skills, and interests. This can make all the difference when playing The Sims 4.
