GTA 5 Needs a Job System

Money plays a big role in Grand Theft Auto 5–it's even the focal point of the logo.  It gives us the impression that the game will play out the "class war" that those in  media and in politics keep bringing up lately, with Mitt Romney on the side of "job  creators" and Barack Obama (and every other liberal-minded person) on the side of the  everyman. 

I put the words "job creator" in quotes because it's a misnomer to suggest that those  who exploit their fellow man by gaming the economy are "job creators" in any way, as  if they're serving some sacred function in society when jobs–as Adam Smith  theorized–are created by the realities of supply and demand, and not by some generous  "job creator" who deigns to appoint jobs to the poor and lazy. 

Political football aside, the Grand Theft Auto 5's focus on money–and jobs, by  extension–gives Rockstar a great opportunity to incorporate an actual job system into  the game by allowing players to choose their professions beyond simply performing  menial tasks as they go through the game.

As it is with most games these days–even action games–role-playing elements like  classes and job systems have become part and parcel of the experience and there's no  reason for a game like GTA 5 to be left out from all the fun. Imagine, if you will, if  players could choose various professions to excel in, with a simple skill tree tied to  each task offering branching skills that benefit the player's character both actively  and passively. 

I would imagine that most of the skills would be applicable throughout the campaign,  and rather than having the player choose from menial jobs like "cab driver" or  "chauffeur", the player could instead choose from various job trees to level up in by  performing various tasks throughout the game.

For example, driving people around to  collect cab fare (a menial task available in previous Grand Theft Auto titles) could  add experience points towards the "Driver" class, which would in turn allow you to  unlock an active ramming skill for use at any time, or a bonus to evading cops. The  ability to lower the threat meter could come in especially handy in difficult campaign  missions. 

Granted, it's all speculation on my part at this point, but a feature like this would  certainly not feel out of place in a GTA title and would give it the depth it needs to  place it beyond the likes of imitators like Sleeping Dogs.