[infinite93]

It depends on your goals... Some careers have skills that help you to some degree in combat... Most people seem not to use these.

Other careers benefit your gang or teammates. These get used a lot, but not everyone plays that style.

The general consensus (and the math proves this out) is that for long term success, you should level up your career, even if only for the increased CP's. The 50CP you get on a good day now is nice, but as you level up, the 75, 100 or even 150 CP you get on even a bad day will look a lot better. You will also need those extra CP when the stats cost 9000+ points to increase each level.

At the end of the day, play the way you want, no one will stop you. I wish would have started leveling my chosen career sooner, but now that I have I am definitely enjoying the benefits, both in career abilities and CP's I can use for stat gains.