This guide is made for those who want their two professions to work well with one another. I.E., one is the gathering, the other is the production.
First, let me state that the easiest way to make money is to be a miner. Jewelcrafters will pay out the butt for ores and jems. I have also never complained to myself that "my skill isn't high enough (crap)!" Cost for the next skill class is CHEAP and skill leveling is FAST. Therefore, it's my opinion that any production profession that tends to be a gold sink should be paired with mining.
The key to making a lot of money in mining is this: Invest in the 24 slot mining bag right out of the box. On my server, they sell for about 65g. Then, make a point of hitting every single solitary vein that you find. It doesn't matter if you're level 70 running through the newbie zones mining for copper... Just do it. Also, NEVER sell smelted bars. Sell the ores. They're worth more in their raw state because they can be prospected for jems. A stack of 20 copper ore can easily sell for 2 or 3 gold. A stack of 20 Mithril ore can easily sell for 25 gold. Gold ore will sell for a gold a piece. Truesilver can sell for upwards of 80g per stack of 20.
Now on to the meat of the profession guide.
(BTW, the suggested classes/races that are set with these really don't matter... I just think that it's natural for a druid to be into herbalism and a shaman to be into alchemy, etc. You can do whatever you want, really.)
Alchemy + Herbalism (duh). Perfect for: Druids, Rogues, and Shaman.
Blacksmithing + Mining. You will often need drops too, but the mining will help you buy what you need from the bazaar if you are too lazy to farm. Perfect for: Paladins and Warriors, and a seemingly obvious choice for dwarves.
Engineering (gold eater) + Mining (gold maker) = a good balance. Perfect for: I don't care what class, but this is an obvious one for gnomes.
Jewelcrafting + Mining (again, duh). Perfect for: Mages, Shaman, and Warlocks, because the finger-wrigglers seem more delicate to me (don't flame me; my main is a lock); also, this seems like something a stuck-up Blood Elf would be into (again, don't flame me; that lock is a Blood Elf).
Leatherworking + Skinning (duh). Perfect for Hunters and Rogues; I've also always seen the Forsaken as being a perfect choice for this (they eat the bodies, may as well keep the skins MWAHAHAHA).
Enchanting and Tailoring can kind of be considered stand alone capable skills. Enchanting requires you to disenchant a significant amount of green and better items, and tailoring requires a lot of cloth drops (which are better found on humanoids and zombies and the like). For these reasons, I suggest pairing enchanting and tailoring with (what?) MINING. Why? Because enchanted items and cloth are not always a guaranteed drop, and you're going to need more than just those things to support you. I.E. If the auctioneers were also innkeepers, you'd be set. The AH will be your best friend. You're going to need a lot of money to spend on green+ items and cloth. Perfect for: Druids, Mages, Priests, Shamen, and Warlocks (again, the finger-wrigglers and silk-classes).
Now, secondary skills are really up to you at this point. You can have all three at once, but as a general rule, I suggest getting your fishing and cooking together.
If you're a tailor, you may as well also take first aid for bandages.
I don't think it's worth my time to train a character in first aid if they are capable of healing themselves. Therefore, I don't pair it with Alchemy/Herbalism because you're going to be making assorted potions. I also don't pair it with Druids, Paladins, Priests, or Shamen. I also don't bother to get it on a Forsaken, because cannibalism is awesome.
First aid is good for: Hunters, Mages, Rogues, Warlocks, and Warriors. It is best paired with: Tailoring.
Cooking and fishing, while paired together in my book, is a free-for-all for classes/races.
In closing, I would like to say that for most professions, you're going to need something that can only be made by another profession at some point in time. I have 10 characters on my server: 5 Allis and 5 Horde. I have all the professions covered for both factions. That way, I can just bounce to another character and make what I need.
Sorry... when I write it's really more of a rant than anything. Feel free to reply if you have any questions or suggestions.
First, let me state that the easiest way to make money is to be a miner. Jewelcrafters will pay out the butt for ores and jems. I have also never complained to myself that "my skill isn't high enough (crap)!" Cost for the next skill class is CHEAP and skill leveling is FAST. Therefore, it's my opinion that any production profession that tends to be a gold sink should be paired with mining.
The key to making a lot of money in mining is this: Invest in the 24 slot mining bag right out of the box. On my server, they sell for about 65g. Then, make a point of hitting every single solitary vein that you find. It doesn't matter if you're level 70 running through the newbie zones mining for copper... Just do it. Also, NEVER sell smelted bars. Sell the ores. They're worth more in their raw state because they can be prospected for jems. A stack of 20 copper ore can easily sell for 2 or 3 gold. A stack of 20 Mithril ore can easily sell for 25 gold. Gold ore will sell for a gold a piece. Truesilver can sell for upwards of 80g per stack of 20.
Now on to the meat of the profession guide.
(BTW, the suggested classes/races that are set with these really don't matter... I just think that it's natural for a druid to be into herbalism and a shaman to be into alchemy, etc. You can do whatever you want, really.)
Alchemy + Herbalism (duh). Perfect for: Druids, Rogues, and Shaman.
Blacksmithing + Mining. You will often need drops too, but the mining will help you buy what you need from the bazaar if you are too lazy to farm. Perfect for: Paladins and Warriors, and a seemingly obvious choice for dwarves.
Engineering (gold eater) + Mining (gold maker) = a good balance. Perfect for: I don't care what class, but this is an obvious one for gnomes.
Jewelcrafting + Mining (again, duh). Perfect for: Mages, Shaman, and Warlocks, because the finger-wrigglers seem more delicate to me (don't flame me; my main is a lock); also, this seems like something a stuck-up Blood Elf would be into (again, don't flame me; that lock is a Blood Elf).
Leatherworking + Skinning (duh). Perfect for Hunters and Rogues; I've also always seen the Forsaken as being a perfect choice for this (they eat the bodies, may as well keep the skins MWAHAHAHA).
Enchanting and Tailoring can kind of be considered stand alone capable skills. Enchanting requires you to disenchant a significant amount of green and better items, and tailoring requires a lot of cloth drops (which are better found on humanoids and zombies and the like). For these reasons, I suggest pairing enchanting and tailoring with (what?) MINING. Why? Because enchanted items and cloth are not always a guaranteed drop, and you're going to need more than just those things to support you. I.E. If the auctioneers were also innkeepers, you'd be set. The AH will be your best friend. You're going to need a lot of money to spend on green+ items and cloth. Perfect for: Druids, Mages, Priests, Shamen, and Warlocks (again, the finger-wrigglers and silk-classes).
Now, secondary skills are really up to you at this point. You can have all three at once, but as a general rule, I suggest getting your fishing and cooking together.
If you're a tailor, you may as well also take first aid for bandages.
I don't think it's worth my time to train a character in first aid if they are capable of healing themselves. Therefore, I don't pair it with Alchemy/Herbalism because you're going to be making assorted potions. I also don't pair it with Druids, Paladins, Priests, or Shamen. I also don't bother to get it on a Forsaken, because cannibalism is awesome.
First aid is good for: Hunters, Mages, Rogues, Warlocks, and Warriors. It is best paired with: Tailoring.
Cooking and fishing, while paired together in my book, is a free-for-all for classes/races.
In closing, I would like to say that for most professions, you're going to need something that can only be made by another profession at some point in time. I have 10 characters on my server: 5 Allis and 5 Horde. I have all the professions covered for both factions. That way, I can just bounce to another character and make what I need.
Sorry... when I write it's really more of a rant than anything. Feel free to reply if you have any questions or suggestions.