After 2,061 Hours in The Sims 4, I Always Come Back to…

People often ask me why I keep coming back to The Sims. I’ve had my fair share of favorite games, titles I rave on about, but no single game has kept me hostage for longer than The Sims 4. And while there’s no single answer, one of the truest reasons is the thrill of possibility. Every time I load up the game, I get to start fresh. One day, I can be a serial romantic climbing the ladder toward fame, and the next, I’m a quiet painter who never leaves their cozy home studio. The beauty of The Sims is that there’s no ceiling on reinvention, no limit to the lives you can live, or the versions of a virtual self you can become.

For me, that virtual persona is often defined by one thing: work. The career you choose in The Sims 4 doesn’t just pay the bills; it shapes an entire story. It dictates a Sim’s rhythm, their social circle, and sometimes even their fate. After more than two thousand hours, I’ve tested nearly every path, but I keep coming back to four careers that make the grind feel like nothing less than pure magic.

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By Carla Carmona

Rabbit Hole Careers in The Sims 4

A Sim with the new interactions and mood buffs from the Higher Education Active Career mod

Rabbit hole careers are as old as The Sims franchise itself. And while they may be monotonous for a player who favors being hands-on, they still have their perks. These careers are the most common and traditional choices for a Sim, but this doesn't diminish The Sims 4. They are great for households with multiple Sims, help save time, and often feature simpler promotion tasks. Random events challenge a Sim's workday in just a blink of an eye, too. Although your Sim may be absent for hours each day, many of these careers offer so many benefits that I find myself returning to them repeatedly.

The Writer Career

The artistically inclined base game careers in The Sims 4 are underrated. Although they may not be as exciting or shiny as a career introduced by ten years' worth of Expansion Packs, they have an advantage that more monetarily advantageous base game careers don’t. While an Athlete or Astronaut may roll in Simoleons with just a few promotions, creative careers have the perk of output. To obtain promotions, you must learn the craft. And to learn the craft, you must create. And in that process of creation lies the goldmine.

As a writer myself, I may be biased when I say I often return to The Sims 4’s Writer career. But in a technical sense, the Writer gig is among the game’s best rabbit hole careers. Here’s a breakdown of why:

Swimming in Royalties: To become a better writer, your Sim will need to write daily. The most efficient way to develop writing chops is by producing books. Although early works may be rough, your Sim can still publish them independently. It may not seem like many Simoleons at first, but the royalties will start to roll in as you stack published works. And the more talented your Sim, the better the payout.
The Daily Tasks: A Writer’s daily tasks feed into the royalty hack. You either need to read or write books. So, your side hustle will scale with your work promotions, making it an almost unbeatable career in The Sims 4.
Build Mode Perks: A writer requires a dedicated space to find inspiration. Equipping the area with the right items helps a Sim develop the Writing skill more quickly. Whether it's a cozy home office, a cluttered library, or a quiet bedroom nook, a writer's workspace should be considered sacred. The build mode furniture unlocked through the Writer career is not only aesthetically pleasing but also enhances the Sim’s mood, making it easier to gain the Inspired moodlet and benefiting their career altogether.
The Author Branch: The Journalist branch of the Writer career feels like it should have been its own gig from the get-go. Additionally, the Author branch offers higher compensation.

Style Influencer

Trendy, unique, and ideal for a Sim who wants to stand out, achieving all three in one job is rare. The Sims 4's Style Influencer role offers both flair and convenience. It's one of the most adaptable rabbit hole career paths, allowing you to spend more time with your Sim without compromising their career growth.

Remote Work: Style Influencer truly set trends by aligning with modern standards, not just in name. The career path introduced remote work options, enabling players to avoid the usual rabbit hole and complete their tasks from home. If you lock in early, your Sim can finish daily tasks well before the scheduled clock-out time. This frees up time to improve other skills, attend to your Sim’s needs, or pursue any activity your Sim enjoys.
The Ridiculous Outfits: If I were a Sim, my everyday look would be comprised of athleisure and “Hot Topic and your nearest English department had a baby.” Needless to say, I’m not exactly a fashion icon. But even I didn’t expect The Sims 4’s Style Influencer career to produce some of the most visually offensive outfits I’ve ever seen. It’s honestly a highlight of any session, watching your Sim head off to work dressed like a neon nightmare. Brightly colored socks, clashing patterns, and the occasional bike helmet are enough to make you hit “Plan Outfit” on Create-A-Sim before they head out next.
Stylist Branch: In all honesty, you can’t go wrong with either branch of the Style Influencer career. But the Stylist path has the perk of just a few more Simoleons per day.

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By Carla Carmona

Active Career Paths in The Sims 4

There’s something magnetic about The Sims 4’s active careers. They’re the perfect mix of chaos and control; the moments where the camera follows your Sim into the workplace instead of leaving you behind with an empty house. Active careers take the life simulation concept and run with it, inviting players to play both director and actor. Whether you’re scrubbing down lab equipment, solving crimes, or calling the shots on a film set, the day-to-day rhythm of these jobs is rich with personality. There’s just something about being in the middle of the action that keeps me coming back.

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The Sims 4: Mods That Improve Teen Gameplay

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By Kath Leroy

Actor

The Sims 4's Actor career was the first active job introduced in the game, and it remains one of the most theatrical in every sense of the word. It gives your Sim the chance to do what so few careers in the game allow: to perform, fail spectacularly, and occasionally steal the show. The moment I first booted it up, I could feel my long-dormant theater kid instincts stir back to life. Suddenly, I was obsessing over scripts, costume changes, and my Sim’s Acting skills like my Sim’s life (and paycheck) depended on it. It’s not just a career path, it’s a stage.

A Dash of Realism: Before you can step foot on set, your Sim needs an agency. This is one of the few careers where networking and goal alignment actually matter. From prepping for gigs to developing Charisma and Acting skills in TS4, the career mimics the hustle of real-world entertainment in a digestible manner. The payoffs are also surprisingly tangible: fame, perks, paparazzi, and even accolades.
Lights, Camera, Chaos: The best part of the Actor career is how absurdly unpredictable those early gigs can be. Whether your Sim is fumbling lines or simply taking too long to complete their tasks, no two sets are alike. It’s a rare combination of structure and chaos—one where your Sim’s performance and your time management actually determine the outcome.
Fame Magnet: Succeeding on set doesn’t just mean a bigger paycheck. With each successful gig, your Sim gains fame points and access to higher-end opportunities. Fame can be both a blessing and a curse, but it’s an essential part of the Actor experience. It adds a layer of storytelling that few other careers in The Sims 4 can match.

Reaper

Sims 4 reveals Life & Death trailer and info

The fascination with death has always been part of the franchise’s DNA, from the Cowplant’s appetite for careless Sims to the players who love to delete a ladder from a pool. Finally, the game offers a perfect career path for players who have taken note. The Reaper role in The Sims 4: Life & Death EP is one of the game’s darkest, most evocative careers. Where most Sims strive for fame, wealth, or domestic harmony, the Reaper lives on the cusp of the mortal and the mythic, dealing with the weight of mortality itself. For someone like me, who loves spooky things and the weirder parts of The Sims, it’s a dream assignment. It's basically a career that asks a Sim to walk among death instead of avoiding it.

Death’s Calling: Once a Sim adopts the Reaper role, they become the entity who oversees transitions from life to death. It’s not just about collecting souls: it’s about guiding, judging, and intervening. The Reaper must balance finality, listening to pleas, and carrying out inevitable ends. By far, it’s the most haunting career the game offers.
A Dynamic Job: While The Sims 4's Reaper career can be bleak, each day offers variety. This helps prevent players from getting bored with the repetitive gameplay loops of active careers.
Eerie Mechanics: This role weaves together multiple systems. You might be conducting research, soothing grieving families, or crossing paths with ghosts who linger too long. This mix of empathy and duty is unlike nearly anything else in The Sims 4. The Reaper’s work isn’t glamorous, but it’s narratively potent.
A Career that Resonates with the Bigger Picture: At its core, the Reaper reminds us that even a sandbox game with customizable lives is still built on cycles: birth, living, and dying. Choosing this path flips the script: instead of scripting lives, you manage ends. For fans like me who lean into the haunted, the Reaper career elegantly bridges The Sims’ cozy gameplay with the eeriest edges of what it means to live (and let go).