This is from the way that i play the game. other people play differently then i do. theres alot of different ways to play the game and as long as your having fun playing there is no "wrong" way to play. but heres some tips and tricks that might help you get the most from playing the game. i know people that read it are gonna have suggestions and such and i hope that they will post them in comments so i can edit this and make it more useful/helpful. if ive used words you dont know the meaning of, i have put a short list at the bottom of this post.

professions: they are a very important thing. (im a fisherman and this is just my way of doing things, others will probley have some better ideas. and any ideas are more then welcome)
novice: im a fisherman so thats the one i know the most about, somebody else will have to do miner and farmer. i was a hunter at one time so i will cover it to. i have found that at the basic level, for fisherman and hunter that its very easy, all you do is set net/trap and pull the net/kill critter. not much to it. basic lvl fisherman, skilds are most valuable. while basic lvl hunter, its jawbone.
grey lvl: fisherman: your gonna want to upgrade the bait your using. use the pork mince, it will allow you to collect a few more fish per net. it is also time to change up your nets alittle bit. you can now fish "still water". the higher lvl nets you use and fish that you catch, more chance of getting rep. but if your using your catch for crafting, you may only be needing skild and minnows, if so, you still want at least a few higher lvl nets, only for getting rep.
grey lvl: hunter: i'll keep it short. now your gonna have to hunt bugs too. withered stingers and thick pelts are what your gonna be wanting the most. been awhile since i was a hunter, so cant really remember. somebody else will have to post more about it.
for hunter and fisher, your gonna want to check your nets/traps at least 3 times a day. otherwise your catch/prey will rot if its left for to long. i check my nets once in the morning and once at night and at least once during the day, i try to check them 3 times during the day, but sometimes real life doesnt allow me to.
profession quests: your gonna want to do these every chance you get, you will earn alot of rep very fast.
never been a miner or farmer, so i dont really know much about them. somebody else will have to post about them.
collection pieces: (profession and crafting) your gonna want to keep them. they will give you 500 rep when you finish the collection. and also allow you to buy the palar for that profession/craft for gold instead of reals. plus also they sell for a nice bit in ah or inclan always offer to clan before you think of putting in AH, which is nice if your doing an event and break your weapon or belt and are broke. it sucks having to sell one, but its a nice little option if you break something and cant pay to fix it, has happened to me a few times. they are a very important thing.
crafting: as a fisherman, it seems like the easiest crafting is cook for me. i can take my fish and filet them. for skild they go towards endurance pots and the minnows go towards lesser orbs of courage. i have found that if you can use you profession gatherings towards one crafting field, your gonna probley have to buy stuff for the other ones. as a fisherman, i filet most of my catch, even if im not able to use all of it. but dont forget about putting some in resource chest. since low lvl craft stuff is not for clan chest, i sell some of my extra filets, pays for bait.
crafting quests: i have found it best to do one crafts quests a few times to get a rep boost for that craft, then to switch to another craft. (do jeweler 3-5 times, then do cook 3-5 times, then alchemy 3-5, then inscriptor 3-5 and then start over again) that way your getting all craft reps going up at a steady rate.