What are professions?

Professions are the results of spending hours upon hours researching a particular field of practice, practicing the profession, and learning new things to become better at it. There isn't any particular profession you can't choose to learn, but it's an advantage to have the skills relevant to the profession.
On Toril, there are loads of people who have mastered the art of their profession, and there are countless numbers of professions that one can possibly develop. Find the resources you're looking for, ask for help from people who have mastered the profession of your interest, and spend time practicing it, and you're sure to be able to use this knowledge to your advantage.

Professions normally come in pairs as a "gathering profession" and a "production profession". This is not necessarily needed, but to become a good cook, you should know your ingredients, which is achieved through foraging. It can also become expensive, having to purchase the items needed, and you might not know the buying price of the needed goods.
Some of the common gathering professions include:

• Fishing: Catching many different custom fish from shrimps to whales.
• Foraging: Gathering many different custom herbs from flowers to tree saps.Foraging: Gathering many different custom herbs from flowers to tree saps.
• Hunting: Tracking many different custom animals from foxes to hippos.
• Woodcutting: Obtaining wood to craft.
• Mining: Obtaining metal ores to smelt and smith.
• Lapidary: Cut, grind, or polish unrefined materials to create a jewel. Some ores contain strong magic, and refining the ore can unleash its full potential.

Some of the production professions include:

• Alchemy: Combining various herbs and ingredients to brew potions.
• Cooking: Making meats and fish into platters for a variety of buffs.
• Crafting: Turning pelts and wood into armor and weapons.
• Smithing: Turning bars from ore into metal armor and weapons, and temper your armor to improve it.
• Woodwork: Turn wood into a bow, wand, totem, or other objects (fletching), or create planks or other resources to build a smaller construction.
• Enchanter: Embude normal everyday items with magic, and create mysterious and helpful effects.
• Tinkerer: An inventor who crafts whimsical and functional gadgets, from ingenious contraptions to quirky devices that can be used in unexpected ways.
• Builder: Building complex structures such as a house, trebuchet, or other large objects that require stone, metal, wood, or other resources.

The profession doesn't limit itself to the above, if a practice interest you, find the relevant book, person, or location, to get you started.

In the vast and captivating world of Toril, professions are the beating heart that breathes life into characters. These diverse roles bestow unique abilities, skills, and backgrounds, shaping adventurers into heroes, rogues, mages, and more, guiding their destiny amidst the chaos of epic quests. Delve into the essence of D&D Professions as we unravel the art of character development and its pivotal role in creating unforgettable tales of valor and magic.

If you're curious as to how the XP and LvL system works for professions, see the relevant article.
You can perform initial research on a profession to discover the benefits and achievable results from LvL 1 to 3. For higher LvL, you need a mentor or an in-depth resource that explicitly provides information on more complex work and achievable results within the profession.

Professions don't only give you skills to gather useful resources or build something wearable or usable. When you reach a specific LvL, you have a high chance to get a bonus on other relevant skills.
If you're a good tinkerer, you are good with your hands and fingers, giving you a good chance to get better at tasks such as lockpicking. If you're a good hunter, you have an instinct for reading creatures and their subtle giveaways, giving you an advantage in reading others' intentions.
If you're asked to roll a skill check, you have reached a milestone in your profession, you can ask if the profession can help you against your skill check.