Professions Reference

Farming

Level 5 Level 10 Benefit
Rancher Animal products worth 20% more.
Coopmaster Befriend coop animals quicker. Incubation time cut in half.
Shepherd Befriend barn animals quicker. Sheep produce wool faster.
Tiller Crops worth 10% more.
Artisan Artisan goods worth 40% more.
Agriculturalist All crops grow 10% faster.

Strong recommendation to choose Tiller and then Artisan. Tiller is a good advantage during the mid-game and Artisan is an enormous advantage during the late to end-game because of how much it increases the sell cost of things like Ancient Fruit Wine.

Mining

Level 5 Level 10 Benefit
Miner +1 ore per vein.
Blacksmith Metal bars worth 50% more.
Prospector Chance to find coal doubled.
Geologist Chance for gems to appear in pairs.
Excavator Chance to find geodes doubled.
Gemologist Gems worth 30% more.

Recommendation is to choose Miner which is best for the early/mid-game as it will allow you to get more ores and then later the Prospector which will give you more coal. None of this is particularly important for end-game.

Foraging

Level 5 Level 10 Benefit
Forester Trees drop 25% more wood.
Lumberjack All trees have a chance to drop hardwood.
Tapper Syrups worth 25% more.
Gatherer Chance for double harvest of foraged items.
Botanist Foraged items are always highest quality.
Tracker Location of forageable items revealed.

Recommendation is for Gatherer and then Botanist. Gatherer is useful for early/mid-game in order to complete quests and gifting, as well as extra gold. Botanist is helpful for managing backpack inventory, as well as providing Iridium quality Truffles. Tracker can be useful if you haven't completed the Museum and can be changed in the Sewers for 10,000 gold.

If you do not set up a Wood Farming area then Forester to Lumberjack can also be helpful as Wood and Hardwood are a precious resource, but eventually you will want to switch.

Fishing

Level 5 Level 10 Benefit
Fisher Fish worth 25% more.
Angler Fish worth 50% more.
Pirate Chance to find treasure doubled.
Trapper Resources required to craft crab pots reduced.
Mariner Crab pots no longer produce junk items.
Luremaster Crab pots no longer require bait.

This one is mostly personal preference, although I recommend Fisher for Level 5 in general. Angler is nice in the mid-game if you love fishing and sell a lot of fish. Pirate is nice in the mid/late-game for finishing the Museum.

Alternatively if you really like Crab Pots and want a passive way of making income in the mid/late-game then Trapper to Mariner or Luremaster can be a decent choice.

Combat

Level 5 Level 10 Benefit
Fighter All attacks deal 10% more damage.
Brute Deal 15% more damage.
Defender +25 HP.
Scout Critical strike chance increased by 50%.
Acrobat Cooldown on special moves cut in half.
Desperado Critical strikes are deadlier.

Recommendation is to choose Fighter and then Brute. Regular attack increases are generally more useful than Critical Strikes unless you are doing a specific Critical build using late-game enhancements.

Alternatively if you use Special Moves a lot as part of your build, then Scout to Acrobat is an interesting option.