Professional worries

How come that I'm doing what I'm doing as a living? Probably I had some kind of basic interest in it from the beginning, when I took out a direction of my life, but why am I still there? I think you should put that question to yourself once in a while, in real life as well as in Azeroth.

How easy isn't it to slip into a routine? You landed into something by hazard, and then you stay there, just because you're used to it, feel safe and comfortable or because you've invested so much time, energy, effort and money to build up your competence that you hesitate to just throw it away and start all over again.

I can't help admiring all those that coldly do like thet. They let go of professions that they've spent hours and hours to level up. I must admit that I haven't changed profession even once on Larisa. She's been herbalist and alchemist all the way. Settling for herb picking was the result of reading somewhere that you really should have a gathering profession in order to get money. And then I understood that alchemy would be a great thing to combine it with.

I've remained a drug dealer. I've never made any huge fortune from it, on the contrary. I was fast spoiled in being self sufficient on drugs, and I've stuck to that road. I use most of what I create myself, or I give it away to guildies that need it.

My own level of consumption makes more knowledgeable raiding friends to shook their heads at my thoughtless extravagance. Two Flask of Pure Death per raiding night in Kara is standard. What a waste! OK, if you're learning a new boss fight, expecting a wiping night, then it's an obvious choice, but to empty precious flasks before ganking Attuman... That is recklessness, a bad habit, that I think only players that mix their own drugs could think about growing.

If I had known what I know today, I would have done like any sensible mage, changing for tailoring some time after 60, starting collecting mats for the Spellfire and Spellstrike sets. Possibly together with enchanting, in order not to see so much wasted loot. You know how it always ends: another useless piece of plate dropping or a strange thing for that shaman you've never got in your party. The question is hanging in the air: any enchanter? And then the following silence.

But at that time, when it really would have been a jackpot to sew myself a armour for my mage, I didn't have a clue about it. And when the insight finally dawned upon me, I had already specialized as elixir master and made almost every flask discovery there is in the game, gearing up in other ways, by drops and badges.

Today the step to become a dressed up mage wouldn't be so dramatically huge, not so big that it motivates me to invest loads of gold and grinding sessions. On the other hand, I keep thinking about it: can it actually ever become "too late"? Lifelong education is a concept that is applicable also in WoW. It may not be profitable right now, but there will be an expansion, and it would be strange if it didn't offer any new patterns?

On the other hand, how would it be to always have to rely on greedy alchemists, not being able to pick whatever you need for yourself for the raiding tonight? It IS nice to be independent.

In the end I think the question about chosing profession mostly is about in what way you prefer spending your farming time. It's just different sides of the same equation. If I don't pick the flowers and make the elixirs myself I'll have to buy them at AH. That means that I'll have to gather gold one way or another, most simply by grinding primals. What do I enjoy most - to slowly cover zone after zone, looking for flowers for the whole night (I don't have and probably never will have an epic flying mount) or to go around the mystical circular thing in Nagrand one time after another, picking primal shadows from the voids?

Only I can answer that question.

With the expansion another profession will arrive, making the choice even harder. To be able to improve your spells with inscriptions sounds very attractive. On the other hand, many others will think the same and the risk is that there will be an overflow and the inscription won't be profitable at all.

The choices are hard and there's no councellor around. Eventually I'll probably put my head into the sand like an ostrich, lazy and cowardly. You know what you have but not what you can get. Unless any kind coplayer will come around and give me a well deserved kick in my ass, the push to take the step.