Changing Job

Okay, people are telling me that I can change job anytime, while many people ( like ME) are whining what a pain it's level early levels with thief.

So, wouldn't it be smarter to change your job to warrior ( or something which is stronger than a thief in beginning) and AFTER you're somewhere between level 15 - 20, change it back to thief, huh?

And are there any drawbacks if this is possible? Thought to ask from more experienced players before I do anything stupid.

*bets it can't be as simple as that*

You are only a level what-ever thief. Your character doesn't have a level, it has a level in jobs. So you would change to a level 1 warrior that has the same stats as a level 1 warrior then if you wanted to, you could change back to your level what-ever thief.

You could change to warrior, as you suggested, build that up to level 18 and get the subjob, and then revert back to your thief (which, like ZeZipster said, will still be the same level) and use warrior as a sub. This will give your thief more strength and add to your survivability.

Even without a subjob, job switching can be profitable...you can use "throwaway" jobs for easy Conquest Points (which are awarded based on the difficulty of the enemies you fight, so you can still get tons for fighting rabbits in West Ronfaure), and also to build your skills, where there's common ground--your combat and magic skills are tied to YOU, not your job.

For instance, you want THF as your main, right? Well, you could spend some time as a WAR or a RDM with a sword and a shield. As you fight, your sword, shield, evasion, and possibly bow and arrow skill will increase. So, say you're a lowly level 8 theif with a sword skill of perhaps 12. You switch to Warrior, where it's easier to get parties and your low hit rate (as an Elvaan) doesn't count for as much, and level yourself to level 12 or 13. Your sword skill jumps up to level 30, and you learn Burning Blade. Then, you switch back to your Thief, and lo! You still have Burning Blade, supposing that your sword skill isn't capped below 30.

It would also be advisable to spend some time as a monk, since those build up evasion and guard skill fairly quickly...plus, I really like monk as a subjob for theif.

Just hang in there until level 15, then you'll love your theif to pieces, regardless of how much time you spend levelling other jobs for easy Conquest Points and skill levels. Sneak Attack is godly.