Back in the WotC Saga edition of Star Wars, I would try to make a 20 level character with 20 different classes. I never got past 18 or maybe 19. It was just a fun thought experiment. I had the idea for a similar thought experiment for FFG's version of Star Wars:

How few specializations would it take for one character to get every single skill (all 35) to be a career skill? Mathematically it should take one career (eight skills) and seven specializations (four each) to pass 35. In reality I can't seem to do better than one career and nine specializations.

I don't have all of the career books, but the toughest skills to work around seem to be the knowledge skills (notably Outer Rim, Core Worlds, Lore and Warfare).

What do you think?

This is probably because Star Wars has been on my brain nonstop since I saw the new movie...

Did you account for some of the talents that add careers skills? Recruit has several, and a couple of the specs have Well Rounded, which adds any 2. You can also pick up a species like Cerean, which has every knowledge skill as a career skill automatically.

Also, in the Colonist book, owning a business or homestead grants you a free Class Skill related to that business. [Far Horizons pg 84]

Thanks for the advice. I'm headed back to the drawing board, and I'll see what I can manage.

Edited to add: I got it down from 9 specializations to 5. Thanks for the advice. I could try to get down to 4, but instead I'm going to try to figure out this character's backstory, to make it all make sense.

I'm down to: Colonist, Scholar/Medic/Shadow/Recruit/Artisian

Maybe your character was an artisan who became a Scholar because their works had fallen out of favor. They joined a local milita/home guard or the rebellion specializing as a medic then something happened they made them decide to become a shadow?

Grew up on the streets (Shadow) but their life changes when the Empire wipes their town off the map, killing all those the character loved. They find their way to the Rebellion where they go through Basic training(Recruit). The emotional loss of their home leads them to the Medical (Medic) unit, felling they have seen enough death they make it there life's goal to save lives. As life goes on they retire from the field and take up a research position (Scholar). They begin to find much better ways to use technology to help Medics in the field, many attribute their discoveries to their Force Sensetivity (Artisan)

also consider a Cerean for your species as they get all Knowledge skills as career skills

Someone did that once upon a time. As I seem to recall, starting with a Cerean Scholar and Politico was their starting point. Hell if I can find the thread tho - I really hate the search engine here.

Someone did that once upon a time. As I seem to recall, starting with a Cerean Scholar and Politico was their starting point. Hell if I can find the thread tho - I really hate the search engine here.

Was this it? (And there's also another thread linked inside this one.)

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/129371-all-the-career-skills/

There you go - yeah, that's it.