I'm trying to follow along both sides of this conversation - good stuff. i think I understand most of what you are both saying - and I think it's something I really want to know about.
What I'm not sure of - and likely getting mixed up on is: Instead of all that hassle with the vacant lot etc etc; why can you just add a career to the particular Sim via MCCC ? Does either your way or MCCC work for things like:
Lets say I'm playing a Sim (actor career or Scientist career); could I use either to say assign 5 sims to the same career - and when I "go to work" those five will possibly be among the employees there???
I just downloaded AEP from the links in this thread (thank you for whoever posted it). I have not yet tried it - but IIRC, it seems there is a segment that allows you to be a pornstar actor? I'm wondering if my pornstar actor career when they go to work can work with the sims I want them to - as discussed in the previous paragraph; that's what this is all about right now.
I have never used MCCC to give sims jobs. I stick them in a lot because most of the time I'm going to alter their appearance, maybe add traits, put stuff in their inventory & take money away cause I can and do other stuff too. I have them quit a job them give them the one I want them to have just the regular way. Occasionally, I may cheat their career level.
I create/download households of 8 or merge 8 random townies into one household and work with that. I keep an empty house on a lot just for that, even if all it has is a desk and a PC. After some of them died freezing to death while I was doing something without being on pause, I started making a building- a tiny home before tiny living was out so the dummies wouldn't died of stupid stuff like embarrassment from pissing on themselves.
If you assign them all to the same career, you will see them at some point, which varies because some careers have more than one career lot. I dont know if it is something I set in MCCC but mine dont up and quit their jobs. If I put them in a lot and immediately evict them, then they may have random careers. That is why I go in live mode and make it what I want then evict and move out of my households.
The red apple net career is active so you will see other sims and you have to create or download the lot The AEP career is a rabbit hole. The offer to do photo shoots is an active event and you need to create or download the photo studio.