Well you could start by being a professional thief by opting for a criminal career.

But if you want your Sim just to steal things and as such be a thief, your Sim MUST have the Kleptomaniac personality trait.

If you have already set the traits for your Sim then use the cheat “testingcheatsenabled true” and hold shift, click your Sim and click “edit traits for this Sim”.

At night and in a room where there is NO other Sim, click on the floor and select “Steal Something”. You can not control what your Sim will take, but you can do it up to 7 times, until and unless caught, another Sim comes into the room, or the sun comes up.

It works on community lots as well as residential houses.

If the choice “Steal Something” is grayed out, hover your mouse and it should say something like: “You cant steal things while people are watching” so remember to get away from other Sims when sending out a Sim to steal things.

Note: The business weekly income may vary by §1,000s

Diner: §6,000 as a Sim partner/§18,000 as a full Sim Owner = §2,000/weekly Income

Bookstore: §7,000 as a Sim partner/§20,000 as a full Sim Owner = §2,000/weekly Income

Grocery: §7,000 as a Sim partner/§20,000 as a full Sim Owner = §2,000/weekly Income

Bistro: §12,500 as a Sim partner/§25,000 as a full Sim Owner = §4,000/weekly Income

Day Spa: §15,000 as a Sim partner/§35,000 as a full Sim Owner = §6,000/weekly Income

Warehouse: §15,000 as a Sim partner/§35,000 as a full Sim Owner = §6,000/weekly Income

Business: §18,000 as a Sim partner/§40,000 as a full Sim Owner = §6,000/weekly Income

Theatre: §18,000 as a Sim partner/§40,000 as a full Sim Owner = §6,000/weekly Income

Hospital: §30,000 as a Sim partner/§75,000 as a full Sim Owner = §12,000/weekly Income

Stadium: §35,000 as a Sim partner/§80,000 as a full Sim Owner = §13,000/weekly Income

Science: §40,000 as a Sim partner/§100,000 as a full Sim Owner = §15,000/weekly Income

Along the way your Sim will receive various opportunities to advance in their career or make extra Simoleons or just to make the Boss happy. Sims 3 opportunities are similar to the chance cards in Sims 2, but better and not as dramatic to the point of your Sims losing their job or hard earned Simoleons.

Criminal – Thief
Useful traits: Evil, Athletic, Kleptomaniac

Level 1. Decoy- Schedule: M,T,F,S,Su, 10am-4p, 30hrs/week – Pay  §17.00

Level 2. Cutpurse  – Schedule: M,T,F,S,Su, 10am-4pm, 30hrs/week – Pay  §24.00

Level 3. Thug – Schedule: M,T,F,S,Su, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §32.00| 960.00

Level 4. Getaway Drive – Schedule: r F,S,Su,M,T, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §32.00

Level 5. Bagman (bagwoman) – Schedule: F,S,Su,M,T, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §52.00

Level 6. Con Artist – Schedule: F,S,Su,M,T, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §63.00

Level 7. Safecracker- Schedule: M,T,F,S,Su, 9pm-2am, 25hrs/week – Pay  §96.00 Note: Can choose between Evil and Thief career paths. Sims will often take home paintings and other valuable items.

Level 8. Bank Robber – Schedule: T,F,S,Su, 9pm-2am, 20hrs/week – Pay  §122.00 Note: Sims will take home Speedinator Marketing poster.

Level 9. Cat Burglar – Schedule: ar  T,F,S,Su, 9pm-1am, 16hrs/week – Pay  §225.00 Note: Sims will take home Mission at Noon poster, limo

Level 10. Master Thief – Schedule: T,F,S,Su, 9mp-1am, 16hrs/week – Pay  §525.00 Note: Sims will take home The Fox

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Criminal – Evil
Useful traits: Evil, Athletic

Level 1. Decoy – Schedule: M,T,F,S,Su, 10am-4pm, 30hrs/week – Pay  §17.00

Level 2. Cutpurse – Schedule: M,T,F,S,Su, 10am-4p, |30hrs/week – Pay  §24.00

Level 3. Thug  – Schedule: M,T,F,S,Su, 9pm-3a, 30hrs/week – Pay  §32.00

Level 4. Getaway Driver – Schedule: F,S,Su,M,T, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §32.00

Level 5. Bagman (bagwoman) – Schedule: F,S,Su,M,T, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §52.00

Level 6. Con Artist  – Schedule: F,S,Su,M,T, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §63.00

Level 7. Henchman  – Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F, 9pm-3an, 30hrs/week – Pay  §109.00|3,270.00 Note: Sims can choose between Evil and Thief career paths.

Level 8. Evil Sidekick  – Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F, 9pm-3am, 30hrs/week – Pay  §142.00

Level 9. Super Villain  – Schedule: M,T,Th,F, 9pm-2am, 16hrs/week – Pay  §240.00 Note: Limo

Level 10. Emporer of Evil  – Schedule:  M,T,F, 9pm-2am, 15hrs/week – Pay  §420.00 Note: Red glow in public. Other sims will boo you and run away.

Along the way your Sim will receive various opportunities to advance in their career or make extra Simoleons or just to make the Boss happy. Sims 3 opportunities are similar to the chance cards in Sims 2, but better and not as dramatic to the point of your Sims losing their job or hard earned Simoleons.

Useful traits for the Sims 3 Business Career: Schmoozer

Level 1. Coffee Courier – Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F,  8am-2pm, 30hrs/week – Pay  §27.00/hr

Level 2. Filing Clerk – Schedule;  M,T,W,Th,F, 8am-2pm, 30hrs/wk – Pay §35.00/hr

Level 3. Report Processor – Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F, 8am-2pm 30hrs/week – Pay §46.00/hr

Level 4. Corporate Drone  - Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F, 8am-2pm 30hrs/week  - Pay §59.00/hr

Level 5. Department Head - Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F, 8am-3pm 36hrs/week  - Pay §76.00/hr

Level 6. Division Manager - Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F, 8am-3pm 36hrs/week  - Pay §99.00/hr Note: Sims can hold Business Meeting between 8am & 7pm. They last 1.5 hours and Sims get paid §750 per meeting. This is a great way to make extra §§§!

Level 7. Vice President - Schedule: M,T,W,Th,F, 8am-3pm 36hrs/week – Pay §128.00/hr

Level 8. CEO - Schedule: M,T,Th,F, 8am-2pm 24hrs/week – Pay §239.00|5,736.00/hr Note: Lifetime wish level reached. Sim get a Limo.

Level 9. Chairman of the Board – Schedule: M,T,Th,F, 8am-2pm 24hrs/week  – Pay §287.00/hr

Level 10. Power Broker - Schedule:  M,T,Th, 8am-11am 9hrs/week  – Pay §316.00/hr

Part-time jobs are Bookstore Clerk, Grocery Store Clerk, Receptionist, Spa Specialist, and Mausoleum Gravedigger.

Every career has a building in the Neighborhood.

Advancing in career depends on skills, personality, relationship with colleagues/boss and even certain goals that have to be fulfilled.

Jobs pay hourly, not daily.

You can decide how hard they work while on the job. You have options as to what kind of performance you want to give: Business as Usual, Work Hard, Take it Easy, Meet Coworkers, Hang Out with Coworkers, Suck Up to Boss, or Practice a Skill.

A new feature The Sims 3 offers is branching careers, which allows your Sim to choose a certain path in their career (for example, a Sim in the Music career can eventually choose to specialize in Symphonic music or Rock). Reaching the top of a career doesn’t mean your Sims are done, either. If your Sims keep excelling at their duties, they can rake in extra Simoleons through additional raises.

Your Sims can look for a job in the newspaper or by applying right at the building where they’d like to work. Sims are also able to make a living at home selling paintings, writing novels, or growing fruit and vegetables. To get some extra cash on the side, they can buy out businesses and receive a percentage of the profits they earn. If your Sims are less inclined towards pursuing a full-time career or are too busy skill-building, etc., they can get part-time jobs at certain places around town. Teen Sims can also find these jobs.

Actions outside of work, such as schmoozing the boss or reading medical journals, have an impact on a Sim’s job performance. Opportunities can still cause you to lose your job, but may actually help you get a better job in another career track.

If your Sim is a Rockstar, other Sims recognize this and react. The same if he/she is at the top of other careers, like the Military career: Sims use the military greeting with these Sims and there are some banners that can be found depicting them.

You can become business partners with community businesses. Once you buy out the company of your choosing you can rename it, fire the staff, and collect the profits the business earns.

NPCs such as the Maid and Repairman, when asked about their career by your Sim, will state Maid and Repairman, but if you have them move into your family they will be listed as Unemployed.

The Sims 3 Career Rewards

It does not seem that there are special career rewards in the Sims 3 as there is in the Sims 2. However, on certain jobs, small rewards may be obtained…

After reaching Level 5 on the Law Enforcement career, a Sim will receive his or her very own squad car.

Level 10 on the Law Enforcement career gives an International Super Spy the possibility to perform a raid at the Abandoned Warehouse for §1500 every couple of days. The Dynamic DNA Profiler can perform an analysis at the computer for §600.

Reaching level 10 in the Criminal career (evil branch) (Evil Leader) will grant your Sim a red aura that glows occasionally, scaring nearby Sims away. Other Evil Sims will be delighted, Cowardly Sims will be afraid and Good Sims will be disgusted.

Reaching level 10 in the Criminal career (thief branch) (Master Thief) will grant your Sim a gold fox statue that provides a small moodlet boost when admired.

Reaching level 10 in the Science career (Mad Scientist) will grant your Sim an ability to “Perform Experiment On” with many household items. If successful, it randomly gives new attributes to the object including decorative value boost, Sim mood boost, or just new sound. If the experiment goes wrong, the object may be destroyed and disappear.

Reaching level 10 in the Music career (Classical branch) will grant your Sim the most expensive audio set (Top End Stereo).

Reaching level 10 in the Business career will grant your Sim Power Broker status that gives random opportunities every several days for job raises (§30-40 /hour) or monetary bonuses (§ in thousands) or both.

Reaching level 10 in the Culinary career will grant your Sim a special refrigerator that keeps its contents fresh almost indefinitely.

After reaching a certain level in some careers (like the Law Enforcement career or the Medical Career), your Sims will receive a beeper that beeps from time to time when the Sim isn’t at work and forces the Sim to go to work immediately. If they don’t go, their performance meter will go down like in an ordinary work day.

Also once a Sim reaches a certain level in the law enforcement career or journalism career they have the option to question another Sim and/or rummage through their trash and can then write a report about them.

Don’t make your Sim loosing their precious time cleaning the place: delete dirty dishes and old news paper by dragging them to the garbage disposal or the trash can… But don’t do this with “good” food or your Sims will get a negative moodlet. The drag and drop also works on “clean out bad food”, just select open(fridge) then throw away everything that’s no good anymore.

You can also drag/drop books into the bookshelves from your inventory or if they are just laying around the house.

Bookcases can hold different kinds of books: so in the kitchen bookcase for instance, you might want your Sims to keep cooking and fishing books… In the office, all the skill books, like handiness etc… The read-for-fun books can be kept in the living room…

Kids with more skill could make pie with their little toy ovens.

Toddlers can read if you leave toddler books on the floor or a coffee table for them.

To make more money when playing guitar for tips:

Once your Sim has a crowd and other Sims start dancing and talking instead of tipping, put your Sim’s guitar away and immediately pull it back out of the inventory to play for tips again. Sims will start listening to your Sim and start tipping again… unless it is too late at night.

The best places to play guitar seem to be in front of the theater, bookstore, or central park (directly across from the theater). The best days are Thursday, Friday, Saturday. The best times are noon till 11pm – or until every ones is gone.If your Sims is a high level musician (skill and job), Sims can make serious simoleans by performing a concert, holding an autograph session and playing for tips all in the same day. Sims can only hold an autograph session once a week.

You can move things from one sim’s inventory to another. Open the Sims’s inventory and click and drag the item you want to move. Drag the item over to the picture (on the left side of the screen) of the Sim that you want to give the item to.

Get your Sims to make their favorite food, something simple like waffles or pancakes so it’s easy for them to cook. Get them to ‘serve’ rather than ‘have’ them for breakfast so they get plenty of leftovers to put in the fridge. Then it’s easy to get the moodlet for eating good food which can be helpful if there’s nothing else much to cheer them up.

If you store flame fruit in the fridge, Sims like to use it all up first with flame fruit pancakes and such. So keep an eye on your flame fruit if you have other plans for it.

If your Sim is living with a partner, get them to woohoo a lot, they gain charisma every time they woohoo!

Shift+Enter will take you straight to the house of whatever Sim you’re playing.

Thank to all Simmers out there for sharing Sims 3 tips & tricks. Do you have any other tips you would like to share?

Also near the science center & Graveyard, Sims can find some “unknown, special” seeds. Sims will not  know what they are until they are grown.

If Sims pick up the Death Flower, Sims can use it when they are about to die.

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Keep it in your Sims inventory.

If a Sim die from anything other than old age (aka drowning, burning, lightning…), Sims can give the Death Flower to the Grim Reaper in exchange for another chance at life.
Other related post: Sims 3 Gardening Plants & Trees

Master Planter: Must plant all 19 types of plant. Once your sims have mastered the varieties sims will be able to reduce weed growth significantly on future plants.

Botanical Boss: Must harvest at least 75 Perfect fruits and vegetables. After so many perfect harvest-able(s), Botanical Bosses’ plants almost never die from neglect.

Master Farmer: Must have harvested at least 650 fruits and vegetables. Master Farmers’ plants remain watered and fertilized longer, meaning their gardens are more efficient.

THE LEVEL ABILITIES

Once your sims have reached a certain level in gardening, they’ll be able to do different things and gain new abilities.

* Level 1: Sims will be given Lettuce, Apple, Grape, Onion, Lime, & Tomato seeds.
* Level 2: Ability to Weed.
* Level 3: Ability to Fertilize.
* Level 4: Ability to plant
* Level 5: Ability to plant uncommon plants.
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* Level 6: Ability to revive plants. (Green Thumb Trait)
* Level 7: Ability to plant Rare and Special seeds.
* Level 8: Ability to plant Cheese and Eggplant. (Skill Opportunities)
* Level 9: Ability to plant Steak and Burger Patties. (Skill Opportunities)
* Level 10:Ability to plant Omni Plant seeds. (Skill Opportunities)

No need to buy a garden plot like in the Sims 2 Seasons ep, just pick where in the yard sims want a garden and start planting.

To gain skills, sims can read gardening books, watch the gardening channel on TV read, go to gardening classes or just by planting & attending to gardens.

Sims can find seeds all over town.

Sims have the option to tend garden and will do everything rather than clicking on each plant and issuing commands…

Sims can also buy produce from the store and plant them in their garden.

To be able to plant cheese, eggs, patties, steak & the omniplant sims have to wait for three separate opportunities to present themselves.
The first opportunity once complete unlocks the cheese and eggs and make those “plantable”, the second one unlocks patties and steak and the third opportunity unlocks the omniplant and lets sims order omniplant seeds through the mail.

A Money Tree produces  simoleons which can be harvested regularly if the tree is well cared for. If sims let it die, simoleons turn into bills left lying on the ground which will have to be paid.

Apple Tree

Eating Apples after becoming pregnant increases a Sim’s chance of having a boy.

*  Source: Outside in Parks
* Rarity: Common
* Skill Level: 0
* Normal Value: $4
* Perfect Value: $16
* Produce Before Barren: 40
* Experience Gained: 175-125
* Weed Chance %: 0.1
* Produce per Harvest: 3-5

Lime Tree

* Source: Store, parks, mail or garden.
* Rarity: Uncommon
* Skill Level: 5
* Normal Value: $9
* Perfect Value: $36
* Produce Before Barren: 40
* Experience Gained: 225-175
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 3-5

Money Tree
Produces Money Bags and cannot be replanted. If a full vacant square is next to it when it reaches “perfect” a seed (Normal quality) will drop.

* Source: Fishing, Criminal career opportunity.
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 7
* Normal Value: $100-$200/bag
* Perfect Value: $700-800/bag
* Produce Before Barren: 10000
* Experience Gained: 375-300
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 2-5

Watermelon Vine
Eating Watermelon after becoming pregnant increases a Sim’s chance of having a girl.
* Source: Store, mail or garden.
* Rarity: Uncommon
* Skill Level: 5
* Normal Value: $9
* Perfect Value: $36
* Produce Before Barren: 10
* Experience Gained: 225-175
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 1-2

Potato Plant

* Source: Store, mail or garden.
* Rarity: Uncommon
* Skill Level: 5
* Normal Value: $7
* Perfect Value: $28
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 225-175
* Weed Chance %: 0.05
* Produce per Harvest: 1-3

Lettuce Plant

* Source: Store, mail or garden.
* Rarity: Common
* Skill Level: 0
* Normal Value: $3
* Perfect Value: $12
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 175-125
* Weed Chance %: 0.2
* Produce per Harvest: 1-3

Grapevine

* Source: Store or mail.
* Rarity: Common
* Skill Level: 0
* Normal Value: $4
* Perfect Value: $16
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 175-125
* Weed Chance %: 0.2
* Produce per Harvest: 2-4

Garlic Plant
Inflicts Garlic Breath on Sim if eaten.

* Source: Store, mail or garden.
* Rarity: Rare
* Skill Level: 7
* Normal Value: $15
* Perfect Value: $60
* Produce Before Barren: 30
* Experience Gained: 375-300
* Weed Chance %: 0.1
* Produce per Harvest: 3-5

Flame Fruit Bush
Fruit provides +5 mood if in inventory.

* Source: Catacombs exploring, Science career opportunity
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 7
* Normal Value: $18
* Perfect Value: $72
* Produce Before Barren: 20
* Experience Gained: 375-300
* Weed Chance %: 0.05
* Produce per Harvest: 1-3

Tomato Plant

* Source: Store, mail or garden.
* Rarity: Common
* Skill Level: 0
* Normal Value: $3
* Perfect Value: $12
* # of Produce Before Barren: 20
* Experience Gained: 175-125
* Weed Chance %: 0.2
* Produce per Harvest: 2-4

Eggplant
Enabled through skill opportunity, after which you will be able to directly “plant” eggs.

* Source: Store.
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 8
* Normal Value: $7
* Perfect Value: $28
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 150-100
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 2-5

Cheese Plant
Enabled through skill opportunity, after which you will be able to directly “plant” cheese.

* Source: Store.
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 8
* Normal Value: $5
* Perfect Value: $20
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 150-100
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 2-5

Burger Patty Plant
Enabled through skill opportunity, requires ability to plant Cheese/Eggplant.

* Source: Store.
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 9
* Normal Value: $16
* Perfect Value: $64
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 150-100
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 2-5

Steak Plant
Enabled through skill opportunity, requires ability to plant Cheese/Eggplant.
* Source: Store.
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 9
* Normal Value: &28
* Perfect Value: $80
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 150-100
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 2-5

Bell Pepper Plant

* Source: Store, mail or garden.
* Rarity: Rare
* Skill Level: 7
* Normal Value: $12
* Perfect Value: $48
* Produce Before Barren: 15
* Experience Gained: 375-300
* Weed Chance %: 0.2
* Produce per Harvest: 2-4

Life Plant
Reduces a Sim’s age by 1 day.
* Source: Science career opportunity, Gardening opportunity
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 7
* Normal Value: $25
* Perfect Value: $100
* Produce Before Barren: 12
* Experience Gained: 375-300
* Weed Chance %: 0.25
* Produce per Harvest: 1-3

Death Flower Plant
Plant produces only 1 flower before dying. After being revived with Green Thumb trait, it will produce one more and then be barren. Can save the Sim from death.

* Source: Catacombs exploring, Science career opportunity.
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 7
* Normal Value: $0
* Perfect Value: $0
* Produce Before Barren: 2
* Experience Gained: 375-300
* Weed Chance %: 0.025
* Produce per Harvest: 1-1

Omni Plant
Enabled through skill opportunity, requires ability to seed Burger/Steak Plant, requires feeding. Can not be fed Death Flower, Money Bag, seeds, or household objects, but can be fed fruits, vegetables, fish, as well as non-disappearing books (no recipes, sheet music), to produce one harvest’s worth of multiple copies, before needing to be fed again. Omni plant seeds ordered from the mail CAN be planted by Sims without the opportunity but need level 10 gardening.

* Source: Order Seeds through mail.
* Rarity: Special
* Skill Level: 10
* Normal Value: Varies
* Perfect Value: Varies
* Produce Before Barren: 25
* Experience Gained: 400-300
* Weed Chance %: 0.15
* Produce per Harvest: 2-5