Big Ambitions: How to Get a Job and Quit at the Right Time
How to get a job in Big Ambitions: where the job boards are, the $25/hour supermarket wage, why you should study first, and when to quit for your loan.
Last updated Wed Sep 02
To get a job in Big Ambitions, walk into any store with a job board — the supermarket is the easiest — click the board and accept the offer, then show up for your shift the next day. In story mode, Uncle Fred asks you to find "anything at all" on day two, before the game will let you move on to your loan and first business.
Where to find the job board
Supermarkets display a job board near the entrance; clicking it lists the position, the hourly wage and the assigned shifts. Delivery jobs also exist, but community players consistently call the supermarket checkout "the easiest one to get done". After accepting, the job starts the next working day — if today shows "no shifts assigned", go home and sleep until the morning.
What the job pays
A supermarket job pays $25 per hour for an eight-hour shift. In real playthroughs that translates to daily profits of roughly $145–152 after paying your apartment rent, with about $200 earned on days you pull a double shift. It is modest, but it funds food, furniture and courses while you prepare your real move.
Study Basic HR before you quit
The Manhattan Business School offers a Basic HR course (10 hours at $30/hour) that you must complete before you are allowed to employ people. Smart players take it during the job week because studying drains energy and food, and later in the game that time is worth far more than $30/hour. Cram the course in the evenings after work — a marketing course (12 hours at $80/hour) is a worthwhile follow-up.
Don't take the loan too early
Uncle Fred pushes you toward Jensen Capital, but interest starts accruing the moment you sign. Every day you delay the loan while working is interest saved. One day-one playthrough skipped the bank entirely for several days to finish studying first and bank extra cash — the tutorial tolerates it.
The $15,000 loan and quitting
When you are ready (one player quit around $21K savings), quit the job so nobody texts you about missed shifts, then borrow the $15,000 loan from Larry at Jensen Capital. Daily payment figures differ between recorded playthroughs — one Early Access run reported $71/day, while a 1.0 run reported $35 interest plus $125 payment (~$160 total) — likely a version difference (待确认 / to be confirmed for the current build). Either way, rent your retail space in a cheap-but-busy building and the loan pays for itself quickly.
Work mechanics worth knowing
Shifts start at 8 AM — arriving late earns you an angry text from colleagues, though not an instant firing. Working drains energy; run out and your character passes out and wakes up in the hospital. You can skip time while working, and if you are stranded far from home, park benches work like beds for resting and passing time.