So, my people work on their careers for some part of every day, even after they hit the maximum career level. Does it gain them anything to be doing this, or should I be encouraging them to do more leisure activities once they hit the level cap?

I've wondered this too. I usually make them more leisurely if they've hit 55. But if they make 8 before that, I let them keep working as they choose.

I've got to be honest with you. In all of my families, I've paid for career upgrades (immediately after gaining the one below so I'm not wasting my money!) so my peeps got to Level 8 as soon as they could. That way, they can do other things around the house. I did this until I had all 3 rooms mastered. In future generations, I get them started, then let them go. It's more fun to see Mom playing the piano and Dad sleeping in the hammock than it is watching them work!

Yeah, they don't make that bit of money with every work cycle, but with 10% interest and picking up collectables, there's not much need for them to work.

I get them started and leave them more or less to their own devices, giving them the green hand or a treat if they are working. I've had some remarkably hard-working peeps in the last few generations. They seem to master their careers earlier than I recall in VF1.

I agree that once they've become masters there's not much need for them to carry on working, but they seem to be quite happy and who am I to tell them what to do? Oh, wait ...

*chuckle* Good one, Arnie.

In addition to wanting them to be happy, I also thought they might live longer if they relaxed more. I don't know if this is true or not.

Honestly, having only bought the 3rd or 4th generation upgrades in each room, I've managed to make masters in all 3 rooms before the peeps turned 60 rather consistently. In a few cases, with hardworking peeps, even before 55. Either I've gotten lucky or I'm a brutal taskmaster (possible?), but I really have no interest in shelling out the rest of the money for other career room upgrades.

I'll only buy those much later when I've got oodles of coins and nothing left to spend them on haha. Because, I really don't see why I should waste that many coins when the peeps really don't seem to need the career upgrades.

It's much cheaper to just pay 1100 to advance them/give them a head start and let them go at it that way.

Gee I wish I could master a room! I got stuck with the upgrades that stop progress. I fianlly learned to buy 2 upgrades at a time. I finally got a master in the workshop but it took til they were 60. But I do not put my peeps to work all the time. We spend alot of time playing fooseball and playing with the yoga mat.

How do you get them to play with the yoga mat, Mayfly? When I drop my peeps on it, nothing happens.

I was going to ask the same thing! The yoga mat doesn't do anything for me either

It is not as interactive as some of the house stuff. I watched where my peeps go to do their work outs and placed the Yogo mat there. In my case just right of the stairs that leave from the office. Then I praised my peep. Now quite often they return look like they are using the mat. Although some times it looks more like a circus act when the end up jogging on top of the ball.

Wow! What a good idea! I never would have thought of that! (Running to move the mat!)

AH! You know I didn't even think about that. I did think about it with the telescope though, so I'm not sure why I didn't with the mat lol. Thanks for the info! Also moving my mat next time I open the game!

In other, more on topic, news - I just had a peep master the Workshop and get the Workshop Warrior goal with only TWO of the career room upgrades + buying the career level advancement from 1 to 2 at the very beginning. He's literally only 45 years old and he was even a little restless and wandered a good deal in his early years. So, honestly, this really seems to reaffirm my belief that only a few of the career room upgrades are necessary.

All of my peeps -- including the first generation -- have mastered their careers before they died; I hadn't realized there was a question about whether they could do that.

Maybe I make them work too much, I dunno. But I praise them for sitting down to eat, for sleeping, for taking a shower, and for working out, too, so it's not like I'm forcing them to work until they drop...