Here you will find various information on the different job classes you can choose at the beginning of the game.
Craftsman[]
Craftsmen are the producers of various products in the game, be they clothing, jewelry, armor or weapons. A good starting place for Craftsmen is with a mine, this will produce decent income all by itself and allow you to start crafting weapons and armor at a later date with a forge. Thats not to say you cannot start with woodcutter and carpentry if you so choose, but mining will provide a better income to start.
Patron[]
Patrons produce food and drink and are quite sociable. They may be farmers, run inns, bake various goods or if you have the expansion; Pirates of the European Seas, may fish open waters. Probably one of the best starting points for a Patron is likely to start with a croft and a field and/or corral. This will allow you to produce the goods you will need for an Inn or a Bakery later on.
Scholar[]
Scholars are the intelligent, religious type. They may be Alchemists, run Mage shops, Churches or Hospitals. You might find building or purchasing a Tinctury a good starting point as the goods it produces initially are typically created from berries to start, which you can send your employees out to gather.
Rogue[]
Rogues are different from all other classes in the game in that your primary source of money is .... well quite literally everyone else! Hire henchmen to waylay the roads and steal cargo from handcarts as they pass by, extort protection money from other business owners or loot various businesses; but watch for guards too, otherwise you might end up unconscious and shortly thereafter, in court. It is generally believed rogues make money the quickest out of all the classes in the game to start, but expect to spend a lot of time defending yourself in court, you will be charged often. With the Pirates of the European Sea expansion, you can become a pirate by starting as a rogue.