My main (dranei shaman) was full Miner/JC (and I feel your pain on how stupid expensive JCing is) but I switched to Herb/Alch for the epic trinket (its a must for chain mana-potting) and because my guild needs more flask makers. I’m not going to switch again. My first alt is a chanter/tailor gnome warlock. Tailoring looks blah for the Xpac, so who knows about that one. Alt #2 is a dwarf pally miner-smith (smithing is the worst to level – I musta been on something when I took it).

Of course my new main will be a Nelf Deathknight anyway (stealthy 2H animating dead slayage ftw!). New class = new skill, so he’ll be my scriber / engineer and I’ll make sure to have all the mats (& gear) needed to funnel things to him up front to make his life ez-mode.

So I’ll stay with:
- Warlock: max tailor/max enchanter
- Pally: max engineer/max miner
- Druid: skin/leatherworker in training

However I plan to grab a Priest as a herbalist/alchemist on an Alt before the xpac, and also considering doing another alt Warrior as a blacksmith/jewelcrafter. My reason is that I want to have access to what these professions offer, and the time needed to get to lvl45=300 skill is not too bad.

These alts having skill 375 is something I’ll evaluate later, and it also depends on the mechanical implementation of Inscription as to what value it presents as a profession an Alt has. Skill 425 had better offer some serious benefits, considering the time-sink. Manufacturing profs are for Alts, as long as a main can farm.

I’ll be dropping mining on her for inscription.

My ranged DPS alt is a destrolock with alchemy and herbalism. She’s got all the flask / elixir recipes from BC, so I don’t really want to drop alchemy. Herbalism feeds inscription, so that’s also kinda necessary.

My tank is a feral druid with engineering (which I’m keeping because goddamn it I like the idea of a druid of the ‘red in fang and claw’ school of thought who tinkers with hi-explosives) and leatherworking. I could drop leatherworking pretty easily, but I’m waiting to see what happens with the expansion. If there’s any decent crafted tanking gear, I’ll keep it. If not, I’ll relook at things and make the call to switch to something else or not.

And finally, we have the alt I leveled specifically to take over the mining chores from my main come expansion. Enhance shaman with jewel crafting and mining. I’ll be keeping JCing on her, as you mentioned it’s just such a pain to level and such a good money maker when combined with mining that I’d be insane to change it, and mining is pretty much ‘the’ gathering skill if you want cash (although, with the recent jump in herb prices with the revelation that herbalism will be the feeder for inscription, that could change).

TLDR; Switching main from mining to inscription, levelled an alt to take over the mining responsibilities so I still get cashflow.

There is some evidence that I overplan the end-game >.>

Alchemy – Mixology: http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?spell=53042
You receive an increased effect when you drink any elixir or flask you are able to make.
One of the comments said it doubled the duration of some potions.

Inscription – Glyph Mastery: http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?spell=52183
Unlocks an additional glyph.

Skinning – Master of Anatomy: http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?spell=53666
Skinning all those dead animals has broadened your anatomical knowledge, increasing your critical strike rating by 25.

Mining – Toughness: http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?spell=53040
All your hard work spent mining has made you exceptionally tough, increasing your Stamina by 35.

I’m not sold on inscription being the awesome new crafting thing for personal use. I suspect it’ll be hugely lucrative early on (similar to JC) but given what we’ve seen so far of inscriptions on people, I’m reluctant to call it a requirement that you have three awesome slots. Swipe hitting 4 people is a nice thing, mangle having a longer duration would be good, and rip taking longer would be good – but I don’t need all three.

If they make engineering so it produces the best helm before T8 again, I’ll probably go with that assuming that best helm is at all useful for tanking. Plus engineering gives a motorcycle mount. Seriously. Tauren + motorcycle == crazy delicious.

Also, keep in mind that each gathering profession is going to get some kind of permanent bonus to their stats based on it – mining gives +35 stam, for example.

Also, I read PBeM too! (And enjoying it very much, thanks!)

Of course, I wouldn’t be totally against dropping LW on my druid or Tailoring on my priest if the BoP stuff isn’t worth it, and possibly replacing them with a gathering profession (I never did get to herb things with swift flight form) or Inscription, but I tend to think that they will be.