I don't have much experience with RPGs. I'll give it a whirl. (And I'm going with occupations you may not be able to use or they could be sub-classes, but I can see the farmer using a kaiser blade. So, I see potential)
Farmer, Hunter, Smith, Miner, Lumber Jack
I see them as subclasses of "civilian" or "villager" and some of them can have more subclasses. I can see warriors, archers, scouts, etc. coming from them.
The ironic thing about occupation systems is that they usually don't have too much to do with the character unless you specifically shape the game around it. Could have something like that dedicated to certain classes if its hard to switch between them like the farmer having better relations with the "monk" as opposed to the "medium".
I'm kind of picturing this in a setting where culture collide a bit, like a major port city. That would justify having things like piracy, institution and lots of different peoples.
So...
Pirate, Civilian, Merchant, Priest, Prostitute
How about Institution classes are more magic-oriented when the physical-oriented classes should be Academy classes.
Alright, I can see that. Got a layout in mind?
Well let's go with your layout.
[Institution classes] Aspirant [Academy classes]
Conduit ^ Apprentice
Acolyte ^ Spiritualist[][]Partisan^Freelancer
(sorry about how it looks)
It branches two ways. From there there are classes oriented towards specific skills.
Bear in mind this means that spellcasters can't use physical skills easily and the same can be said for fighters.
Alright, I can see that. Maybe have some branching points somewhere along the lines.
Here's a question: how many points are there going to be until they reach the final class?
3-5 depending how branching we want to make this.
Overall, that would lead to the potential of 7-31 overall classes if my math is correct. That isn't to say that they'd have to all be 3 or all be 5.
Okay. For now lets just keep it minimal until we start expanding.
If I've followed the other points of the conversation enough, here would be my suggestion. I used the 'multiple base' form for my idea.
A-Longbowman -> Marksman (Expert at fast ranged attacks?)
H-Archer
A-Crossbowman -> Sniper (Expert at strong ranged attacks)
C-Hunter
W-Woodcutter -> Berserker (Uses axes)
H-Woodsman
W-Tracker -> Scout (Blue mage type; steals enemy skills, unlocks weaknesses/info)
Citizen (Base)
Ct-Spearman -> Pikeman (Heavy infantry, high defense)
B-Conscript
Ct-Freelancer -> Man-At-Arms (Heavy infantry, high offense)
C-Brawler
R-Thief -> Highwayman (Can pilfer enemies, both melee and ranged attacks)
B-Rogue
R-Flautist-> Bard (Melee class that can cast status ailment 'magic')
Ac-Wizard -> Sorcerer (Standard high offense black mage)
N-Acolyte
Ac-Heretic -> Conjurer (Standard Summoner class)
-Novice
S-Priest -> Cardinal (Standard healing white mage class)
N-Scholar
S-Teller -> Soothsayer (Specialist in buffs/debuffs)
Noblesse (Base)
Ca-Squire -> Knight (Balanced melee swordsman class)
P-Cadet
Ca-Horseman -> Cavalryman (This is your lancer/dragoon class)
-Princeling
Sw-Paladin -> Templar (Melee fighter with healing skills)
P-Swordsman
Sw-Fencer ->Swordsaint (Samurai-type class, uses katana and magic-melee combos)
I may have gotten carried away with my thoughts, to be honest. =D
My man! I was trying to push for more of a tradeport kind of vibe, but this is pretty great.
Tradeport? Here's a thought for it. A little simpler; permits a dynamic for both land and sea battles with each type being a little more suited to one or the other. Since I'm not really sure what you're looking for exactly or whether or not there would be legitimate naval battles I'll just leave this for now. :)
B-Bowman -> Fusilier (adept at land-based missile fighting)
L-Brawler
B-Soldier -> Knight (adept at land-based melee fighting)
Landlubber
Sc-Peddler -> Merchant (gives bonuses to rewards at battle's end)
L-Scholar
Sc-Acolyte -> Mage (adept at using both black and white magic)
Ca--Carpenter -> Boatswain (able to repair damage to the boat/naval medic)
Se-Mate
Ca-Steward -> Engineer (able to use buffs/debuffs on the vessel)
Seadog
Sa-Gunner -> Canoneer (adept at ranged attacks on the ship)
Se-Sailor
Sa-Swashbuckler -> Pirate (adept at melee attacks on the ship/boarding)
Not bad. Though I thought the design was for only one class tree only.
I think it'd be better to stick to the first one for the time being. We'll see.