Full List of Jobs & Professions In Star Citizen

With such a complex and interdependent economy there will be many roles available for players. This post examines some of the more certain roles that will exist and then at the end of this article, we will look at some of the more hypothetical roles that may one day exist in the ‘verse.

So let’s look at some of the professions that will very likely be available. Please note that in Star Citizen there is no leveling or character skill selection, player roles will simply be how they choose to play.

Professions Already Testable in Early Versions (Alpha 3.0 and on)

Salvage - Released in Alpha 3.18
Racing - Released in Alpha 3.18
Medical - Released in Alpha 3.15
Piracy - Released in Alpha 3.15
Trading / Cargo Hauling - Updated in Alpha 3.15
Delivery
Passenger Transport / Taxi driver
Mining
Bounty Hunter
Mercenary
Harvesting - Released in Alpha 3.7
Prison Worker / Patsy - Released in Alpha 3.10
Escort
Search & Rescue
Refueling - Released in Alpha 3.17
Refining
Military - Released in Alpha 3.17 (Technically militia / military support eg. Xenothreat)
Ship Recovery / Tug (Argo SRV was released in Alpha 3.21)

Future Professions (2025 and beyond)

Barista
Info Running / Hacking
Farming
Luxury / Diplomatic Transport
Espionage
Science & Research
News Reporter
Archaeology
Translator
Ship Delivery
~~Sataball Player~~

The Star Citizen economy will require a vast array of cargo transport to keep the empire working. If a certain material runs low in one system it will have to be brought in. As seen originally in Wing Commander Privateer the price of goods could vary in different locations and a player could take on shipping contracts offered by the in-game mission system.

The in-game contract system will generate jobs where players will ship goods from one location to another. Availability of jobs is determined by player reputation with the various NPC cargo guilds in the game.

~~This article (Official) shows how interactions will happen with Cargo. You will also be able to move cargo inventory around with the help of your MobiGlas device ( See also this video).~~ Players will need to physically move cargo around the universe. Loading and unloading can be done either manually by using tractor beams, forklifts and cranes or by paying NPC or player services.

Will the loading of cargo onto bigger ships be automated or will specialized small cargo loading ships like the Argo be required?

Loading and unloading of cargo ships will require storage containers and cargo to be moved and loaded. This may be carried out by players or NPCs. Expect large ships to take longer to load / unload cargo and for crews to have to be hired. Some stations will provide more loading / unloading facilities than others. For example, large space ports will have many systems in place to speed up the process. More remote locations will require more involvement from the crew.
Cargo loading / unloading can be an independent profession.
Loading of large ships in space harbors can be manual or automatic. In the case of automatic loading NPC crews will be used.

What type of hazards can we expect when cargo running?

When cargo running there will be wear and tear of components that will need fixing during journeys. Additionally there will be the following potential hazards to name a few: Pirates, comets, meteors, small black holes!

How will item persistence work for spawning and despawning items?

Small disposable items like bullet casings will despawn.
Large and important items will stay in the area based on an "area manager" which programmatically controls the longevity of the items in a given area. Rare items, cargo, ships and such will persist.
Broken windows on space stations will create job tasks for cleaning & maintenance crews (human and NPC).

Will ship autopilot be available or do pilots need to be in the flight seat?

During long periods of cruise, quantum or other travel, it will be possible to set the ship into autopilot mode to be able to carry out maintenance, preparations or any number of tasks. Ships will automatically be pulled out of their flight mode to avoid obstacles or dangers.
While away from the pilot's seat, ships will sound alarms based on sensor data (such as collision alert or "contact").

Delivery missions are available in Star Citizen since Alpha 3.0. Players can accept missions to visit locations to pick up a variety of things from deployable beacons to cargo for delivery.

The delivery career makes it possible for starter ships like the Aurora MR to earn more UEC with delivery missions than with pure cargo running.

Currently in-game delivery missions are generated by the system. Eventually players will have things they need delivered by other players.

Players who deliver ships have their own career category - Ship Delivery.

About The Mining Profession in Star Citizen

Mining was the first occupation to be detailed in Star Citizen and represents the best example of a profession which is not only essential to the running of the universe but also one that is being built to not be boring. This is quite a challenge because in most MMOs mining is synonymous with redundant and low skill labor.

In CIG’s own words:

“Mining presents players with a variety of challenges requiring skill and intelligence, whereas mindless repetition of a task and idle drudgery are explicitly avoided. There are no aspects of mining that allow a player to simply press a button and wait without concern for a result, or that require players to perform an action repeatedly without some element of thought and/or dexterity coming into play.”

In Star Citizen, the construction of everything from missiles to ship plating will require resources. Players will use the resources either directly, such as applying a specific mix of elements to repair a ship’s hull or indirectly, for example, a factory on a planet that is not player controlled will require certain resources to be able to produce missiles.

Should a particular resource be exhausted in a given system this will cause an increase in demand as well as price for said resource. This information will be spread throughout the verse via the job system and will propagate at the speed of communications in Star Citizen spawning job information for players to take up contracts.

Additionally, it might not be possible to make a specific product in the system if there is a shortage of one or more required commodities - this would also drive up the price of the product (such as missiles). Will players be willing to buy missiles at a premium to conduct their military activities in a system that is temporarily unable to manufacture any due to a resource shortage?

Imagine traversing several jump points and using up missiles and ballistic ammo in combat during the journey and arriving at your destination star system only to find out there is a shortage of missiles and ammo! Luckily it won’t be just players that have to mine to keep the empire well stocked as NPCs will also be performing dynamically generated missions based on supply and demand to ensure minimum stocks for essential products are maintained throughout the empire. Since there will be an estimated 9 NPCs to every player, CIG is able to control the economy hence why Star Citizen does not have a true player run economy like in some other MMOs.

It is also important to note that mining in star citizen can be a risky endeavor as the most lucrative resources will be in dangerous to reach and extract.

From CIG about the dangers of mining:

“The most valuable materials will often reside deep within a dense field, the result of less experienced pilots being unable to extricate them without suffering serious damage to their ship. Compressed pockets of gas, volatile materials that can explode in the presence of excessive energy (which is required in some capacity in order to liberate the ore from its parent asteroid), and elements that can explode when subjected to seismic vibrations as caused by repeated fragmentation operations all present their own unique types of jeopardy.”

Mining will have costs associated with the profession. Ship fuel, mining materials, wear and tear, and NPC crew hire costs are just some of the costs associated with mining that players will encounter. Miner’s who choose to pick their own mining jobs can achieve bigger rewards than contracted miners who take known jobs for known rewards but freelance miners also run a bigger risk. This Orion mining minigame created by CIG introduces the player to some of the mining concepts that will exist in Star Citizen.

Sources:
Careers: Mining
WIP Prospector
Mining Rocks
Orion Mining Platform
10 For The Chairman - Professions in Alpha 3.0

"The land claim system will be important beyond Pioneer construction. Land claims will prevent other players from building in your territory and will offer different options relevant to gameplay (such as giving you surface rights, for pure construction, versus mineral rights that would include mining.)

The above quote is from CNOU Pioneer Q & A about Land Claims. Prospecting for land is a viable profession in Star Citizen as the composition of the land revealed by tests and scanners will also determine the best license for the land registry. We suggest reading also our full article about Land Claims as much of that is applicable to mining and mining contracts. Read more about Star Citizen Land Claims.

What type of hazards can we expect when mining?

Players who embark on mining missions will face some of the similar threats that traders and explorers will face. Mini black holes, radiation, meteors, pirates and more.

CR: Yeah, I had else to say that the other things, well obviously we talked about mining potentially hitting a gas vent that can cause an explosion and those sort of things.

Will a player need to be in a mining guild to pick up the most lucrative contracts?

There will usually be entryway points where you can do "junior" mining missions. Then you will build up a personal reputation that’s global, everybody knows how good you are in general at this particular profession versus that one, etc. You get into the personal relationships to where you worked your way up.

Bounty Hunter profession in Star Citizen covers hunting wanted Players and NPCs for rewards.

Capturing and killing outlaws and figures of interest make up some of the Bounty Hunter profession that is very popular and features dedicated vessels like the 300i “... flown by the hottest bounty hunters in the galaxy... ” - from this sale.

Captured players will have to go to prison (read below).

Source: Bounty Hunting News piece

Update January 20109: It appears that as of some point around Alpha 3.4 it is possible to receive Player Bounty missions. Bounty Hunters will progress by completing some NPC bounty missions before the Player bounties appear available.

Military roles will be varied from police type work to massive battles against Vanduul fleets. Players will be able to take on defense roles from the electronic job board as well as from other players who need soldiers in their crews.

Since in Star Citizen players cannot be part of the UEE Military officially, there are mercenary and militia options that allow players to carry out military operations to help the UEE.

Having a criminal status affects player reputation and any player with criminal status does not receive contracts for legal military operations. Players wanting to receive "good guy" contracts will need to keep an immaculate criminal record.

Structural Salvage

Structures of ships will be able to be separated and recycled or repaired.

Hull Scraping (Released in Alpha 3.18)

Hull Scraping involves using a tool to scrape the material off the hull which can then be reused or sold.

Components Salvage

This involves moving over to the ship to be salvaged and taking out computers, coolers, power planets and other components.

The Maw - Crunching up of ships for disposal

The Maw involves crunching up ship (or other) parts using special facilities like the Reclaimer's grinder room. Parts of ships must be broken up using detonation charges.

Siphoning

Siphoning involves taking information or resources. Fuel, oxygen from life support and other gases can be siphoned for future sale or use. Information from computer systems (such as flight logs) can be recovered.

Eventually there will be many locations added to the Public Universe that will create discovery opportunities. Vessels equipped with sensors will scan distant locations such as asteroid fields for mineable resources. From prospecting for future land claims to establishing contact with Banu Merchants the other side of Gliese, the exploration profession is going to be complex. In many cases there might not be any scripted content at all for your flavor of exploration.

Exploration could be one of the most dangerous professions but also one of the most rewarding. Especially with the promise of your name being entered into The Ark. Oh you're doing it for cold hard credits? That works too.

This Star Citizen mini-game is an example of the gameplay we can expect from the exploration role (Hint: Won't be easy).

Star Citizen ships are use components to function and include:

Shield Generators
Power Plants
Gravity Generators
Coolers
Thrusters (Engines, VTOL, Maneuvering, etc...)
Scanning Suites
Computers
Gimbal Weapon Mounts
Rocket Pods
Missile Racks
Utility Items
Quantum Enforcement Devices
Quantum Drives (and Jump Drives)
Fuel Pods
Fuel Intakes
Fuel Refineries
Batteries
Turrets

The resource management system in Star Citizen allows for engineering to be an important gameplay role. An engineer is responsible for the resource management of the ship, the priorities of the items and countering any dangers that might be encountered throughout the flight. Engineers face mechanical dangers that might affect the performance of the ship as opposed to pilots whose main responsibility is to fly the ship.

Components can be modified to tweak performance.

The MISC Endeavor even features an entire particle supercollider so that players may have the very best equipment whether they be racing or dogfighting.

“The most visually unique Endeavor module, the distinct circular supercollider is actually only one small piece of a more elaborate overclocking facility. This large module includes a pair of ‘white room’ workbench labs ideal for tweaking and overclocking starship components. Enthusiasts and professionals seeking to push their weapons, thrusters or other upgrades to the limit can do so with atomic precision thanks to the attached accelerator that allows for safe testing of new theoretical limits; raising the bar on component performance as high as possible.” - From The Endeavor

With character death being a big deal in Star Citizen the healing profession is going to be very busy. There will be NPC’s that can be hired as medics for your crew but will they perform as well as a player surgeon when an emergency occurs?

Taking care of injured players will be a full profession in Star Citizen. In Alpha the damage and healing mechanics have been very simple but as more gameplay comes into Star Citizen the medical profession will quickly grow in complexity. Taking damage will cause body parts to go through various states. While the specifics are not final, how severe the damage is will result in different medical treatments being required.

While a medpen might be able to save a player from bleeding out, it is expected that serious damage will cause loss or impairment of function and will require more advanced treatment. This means players will require different types of medical services depending on what their character needs.

A medical gameplay post states:

While some injuries won’t fully heal until the player has received the correct level of treatment, the more basic medical facilities will still be able to keep non-fatally injured players alive and stop bleeding. However, it’s not recommended for any injured person to stay in a ‘semi-injured’ state for too long, as there will be consequences, such as reduced stamina. Staying in a damaged state for a long time will also make you weaker against further damage, so it should always be a priority to heal yourself as soon as possible to prevent future mishaps.

While recovering health by yourself (respawning or recovering from basic injuries in a medical outpost) will cost less, it may not be the best way to heal yourself depending on the scenario. Calling someone for help via the beacon service will still cost a fee (varying on the severity and/or the distance of the medical ship), but it may be the only way to fully recover from that injury.

Possible mission types for the medical profession include:

Medical Delivery (Supplies, organs, and more)
Recovery (Restoring the health of injured players)
Forensics (Piecing together clues about how a character died)
Rescue (This is more related to Search & Rescue ops detailed below)

Some medical ships will act as respawn locations. Specifically, some medical beds will be used as respawn locations for players "killed" in non-permadeath.

Medical Bed Tiers and Functions

Tier 1 - Recover from near-death experiences and fatal injuries
Tier 2 - Recover from serious injuries, such as multiple limb bleed-outs or ruined limbs
Tier 3 - Recover from minor injuries, such as limbs being damaged

While the exact details are still being developed, it seems reasonable that players who suffer critical wounds will have the option of respawning at the closest suitable medical installations whether NPC or Player operated. The player will probably wake up in a medical bed.

Ships that can be outfitted with Spawn-capable medical beds currently include:

RSI Apollo
MISC Endeavor
Cutlass Red (Confirmed)
Origin 890 Jump (Update)

Dedicated Medical Ships By Role

MISC Endeavor - Complete Hospital
RSI Apollo - Medium-sized clinic for uncharted regions
Drake Cutlass Red - Well-equipped ambulance

Patch Alpha 3.8.1 has added the first piece of medical gameplay - being able to heal and spawn from medical beds. The Origin 890 Jump has a medbay which as of Alpha 3.8.1 is capable of healing players as well as allowing players to set / unset the respawn location to the bed.

This allows the 890 Jump to function as a fully functioning exploration ship with the possibility of re-spawning players who may get killed on away journeys in snub craft like the Pisces.

Ships with medical beds that are capable of re-spawning (reviving) players will be highly coveted in Star Citize as the functionality they provide is literally life-saving.

Healing from medical beds sets the foundation for the future medical gameplay that is coming.

From the Alpha 3.8 Patch notes:

"Gameplay
Added basic "MedBed" gameplay functionality.
Medical beds can now be used for healing and respawn after death. Initial game login is still set by the menu selection, if it's the first login, or by the last ATC landing at a major station. After initial login, players can manually set their respawn to a medical bed by entering the bed and selecting the "Set as preferred ICU" interaction. Medical bed spawning can also be cleared in the same way by selecting "Clear as preferred ICU". Upon death, the player will respawn at the desired medical bed. Currently this functionality is only available on ships with medical beds (just the 890 for this build) and will only work if the ship is available (not despawned or destroyed). If the ship is not available, players will instead respawn at their default location until they have manually set another medical bed. Additionally, if the player is injured they can use a medical bed to heal by selecting the "Treat Injuries" interaction, which is only visible when the player has treatable wounds."

From Alpha 3.8.1 Patch Notes -> https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spectrum/community/SC/forum/4/thread/star-citizen-alpha-3-8-1b-ptu-4125354-patch-notes

Inside Star Citizen episode from September 9th talks about player death and healing.

Players will go from currently dying to requiring medical assistance.

Medical assistance can be provided in several forms:

Medical pens - will provide limited restoration from Alpha 3.15
Tier 3 medical facilities like the Cutlass Red. Can treat minor injuries.
Tier 2 medical facilities like the Carrack and 890 Jump and rest stops. Can treat minor and moderate injuries.
Tier 1 medical facilities like hospitals at cities. Can remove any injuries.
Medical tools with specialized attachments

Players who die will be able to regenerate instantly but will lose any inventory. Players who choose to stay in an injured state until rescued and treated will keep their equipment.

Transporting information about valuable locations can yield high rewards. There will be dedicated ships for info running and hacking. The Drake Herald is suited for Hacking and Data Running while the .

From here

“Drake Herald – Knowledge is power, and one of the most valuable commodities is pure information: the 1s and 0s behind everything from UEC ledgers to Citizenship ratings. Whether it’s colonists struggling to stay in contact with the UEE’s central worlds or criminals trading in illicit data, there will always be a need to securely move data. The Drake Herald, small, armored ship, is designed to fit that need and safely get that information from Point A to Point B. Featuring a powerful central engine (for high speed transit and generating the power needed for effective data encryption/containment), advanced encryption software and an armored computer core, the Herald is unique among personal spacecraft in that it is designed to be easily ‘cleaned’ when in danger of capture. The Herald includes an array of heavy duty internal options for data protection, including redundant power subsystems and EMP shielding, and a high-powered broadcast array for data transmission.”

Electronic warfare also plays a role in the game with ships like the Avenger Warlock able to use EMP (currently playable) to knock out other ship’s systems temporarily.

Current Hacking Ships:

Vanguard Sentinel
Drake Herald

Data Running Ships:

Drake Herald
Mercury Star Runner

Data can be stolen from other ships and resold (source).

“Farming is certainly intended to be a viable profession within the Star Citizen universe, and depending upon the level of risk a player is willing to endure and the skill and knowledge that they bring to bear anything from a meager existence to an opulent lifestyle may be attained.”

Source:

MISC Endeavour Q & A Part 3

There will probably be planet-based and space-based farming but it seems unlikely that certain foods will have to be consumed for survival mechanics.

Source: MISC Endeavor

The galaxy is big and getting around can be expensive. It might be cheaper to hire a ride to get from one place to another than to bring out your own potentially expensive-to-run starship.

With planetary landings possible this means that the danger of players becoming stranded is a real possibility. Being able to pick up stranded players could pay handsomely depending on urgency and danger level of the location. Space Taxi profession confirmed!

Sources:

Genesis Starliner

Genesis Starliner Q & A

Design Civilian Passenger Transport

24 Million Goal

Ships consume fuel to travel around the verse and there are dedicated refueling ships such as the Misc Starfarer in the game to make sure your fleet can travel that much farther into the unknown.

Update: April 2018 - The Shipyard: Fuel Mechanics

The career of Refueling is one of the many non-combat professions in Star Citizen. There are two categories of fuel Quantum Fuel and the previously called "Hydrogen Fuel". Some ships are capable of scooping gases from space or atmosphere and using them for fuel to power engine or thrusters. Hydrogen fuel isn't limited to hydrogen and some ships, like the Origin 100i are capable of scooping different gases to use as "Hydrogen fuel".

Quantum fuel, however, is only scheduled to be sold at stations like Cry Astro. This section will be expanded as we the Refueling profession becomes more fleshed out.

Fuel Intakes scoop natural gases from the environment and funnel them into the ship.
a. To get the most amount of gas into your ship, seek out areas of concentrated gas.
b. Using your Fuel Intakes in regular space may scoop limited quantities of gas or none at all.
These gases are converted into plasma
a. Fuel Intakes will do a basic conversion on a limited range of gas types.
b. Refineries will provide more conversion options.
Converted plasma is stored in the Fuel Tank, previously called the Hydrogen Fuel Tank.
a. These tanks can only store one type of plasma at a time.
When thrust is needed, plasma pumps through the Power Plant and is converted/agitated into energized plasma.
The energized plasma is funneled into thrusters.
Thrust is produced and the ship moves appropriately.

*Taken from The Shipyard: Fuel Mechanics linked above.

“Most of those who are willing to traverse on to the planets are xenoarchaeologists and tomb raiders. Despite the widespread devastation, thousands of structures have been identified on Hades’ graveyard worlds, and many more are believed to exist underground. Countless artifacts are taken (or stolen) from these sites each year, and it is believed that there are a number of ongoing, formal ‘outlaw’ operations running to try to locate some of the technology that the Hadesians used to destroy themselves.”

From Galacti Guide Hades System

In the Star Citizen universe, ships are real objects that persist, even when the player is logged out. When a ship is purchased or replaced through insurance, it may need to be delivered to the location of the player. For example, if a player is at the ship dealership on a planet but the replacement ship is only available in a near by system, the ship dealership may employ a single ship delivery pilot, also known as Iso Pilot (short for isolated pilot). Other ship delivery crew configurations also exist and it will be up to the player to decide which system is best for them (and most profitable). The best pilots will be able to single handedly deliver the largest of ships while others may have to settle for a smaller cut by working in a team.

It's important to note that small ships can be delivered inside other ships but for large ships, depending on insurance level and risk locations, it may require a solo pilot to perform the delivery. This career seems to be the most profitable when performed alone.

Additional reading:
Observist Lifestyle - Iso Pilots

Players looking to make a handsome profit by resupplying combat operations need look no further than the rearming profession. This profession is ideally suited to players who enjoy the support role as well as who those who aim to turn handsome profits by buying armament cheap and then selling at a premium by venturing near or into conflict areas.

Specialised ships for rearmament include the Anvil Crucible and the Aegis Vulcan. These ships, while being repair ships, are also able to restock and refuel ships they repair.

Star Citizen Occupations List

Professions Already Testable in Early Versions (Alpha 3.0 and on)

Professions possibly coming in 2024

Future Professions (2025 and beyond)

Trading / Cargo Hauling

About Cargo

Shoopkeeper

Cargo and Trading Questions & Answers

Delivery

Mining

About The Mining Profession in Star Citizen

Mining without a ship

Hand Mining

Mining with a ground vehicle

Freelance Mining vs Contracted Mining

Mining & Land Claims

Mining Consumables

Mining Questions & Answers

Refining

Where can material be refined?

Bounty Hunting

Prison Gameplay

Merc / Escort

Escort

Military

Pirating

Update 18th October 2021

Salvage

Structural Salvage

Hull Scraping (Released in Alpha 3.18)

Components Salvage

The Maw - Crunching up of ships for disposal

Siphoning

Hunter Gatherer

Creature Hunting

Exploration

Repair

Engineering

Design Brief: Engineer

Component Tuning

Sources

Medical

Medical Ships & Respawning - Updated

Update January 17th 2020 - 890 Jump

Update January 24th 2020 - Cutlass Red

Update January 3rd July 2021 - Downed State

Update September 2021 - Healing

Search & Rescue

Science Research

Info Runner / Hacking

Racing

Farming

Farming and Land Claims

Passenger Transport / Taxi driver

Luxury / Diplomatic Transport

Espionage

News Reporter

Barista

Refueling

How Thrurst Works With Fuel

Archaeology

Space Tourist

Translator

Ship Delivery

Ship Recovery - Tug

Rearming

Sataball Player

Prison Worker

Referral Code