Date: July 31st, 2025 7:00 AM
Author: cyan fighting lay
Rank Surname Profession Actual Difficulty & Danger Perceived Difficulty / Prestige Why?
1 Miller Miller A++ (Very High) B (High) The job was incredibly skilled, complex, and dangerous (explosions, machinery). Millers were essential, powerful, and often wealthy, but also distrusted as monopolists.
2 Smith Blacksmith A+ (Very High) A (Very High) Required immense physical strength, expert knowledge of metallurgy (a form of magic to many), and the ability to make everything from plowshares to swords. A smith was a master artisan.
3 Wright Craftsman (e.g., Cartwright, Wainwright) A (High) A- (High) A "wright" was a skilled builder of complex machines like carts and wagons. This required deep knowledge of woodworking, engineering, and geometry. A highly respected, skilled trade.
4 Mason Stonemason A (High) A- (High) Building cathedrals and castles required immense skill in geometry, engineering, and stone carving. A physically demanding and highly skilled profession with a powerful guild system.
5 Carpenter Carpenter B+ (High) B (Medium-High) A very common but essential skilled trade. Required knowledge of woodworking and construction, but was perhaps seen as less "magical" than a Smith or less "grand" than a Mason.
6 Baker Baker B (Medium-High) B- (Medium) Required skill in managing sourdough starters and ovens. It was hot, physically demanding work with very early hours. An essential but very common urban profession.
7 Taylor Tailor B- (Medium) B- (Medium) Required significant skill in cutting expensive cloth (a major mistake was costly) and sewing. A skilled but common trade.
8 Farmer / Gardner Farmer / Gardener B (High) D (Low) The work was brutally hard, physically demanding, and subject to the whims of weather and harvests. However, because it was the most common profession (~80% of the population), it had very low social prestige.
9 Cooper Barrel Maker B+ (High) C (Medium) Making watertight barrels was an incredibly skilled and physically demanding job, essential for storing and transporting everything from wine to salted fish. A vital but often overlooked trade.
10 Clark / Clarke Clerk / Scribe C (Low) A+ (Very High) This is the great exception. The physical difficulty was very low (sitting and writing). However, in an era of mass illiteracy, the ability to read and write was a rare and powerful skill. A "clerk" was a scholar, a priest, or a bureaucrat, holding immense social and intellectual prestige.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5756598&forum_id=2/#49144843)