I've wished that adults could do the part-time jobs available to teens (as they could in Sims 3) - that would be great for parents while kids are in school. Generally, I only send my Sims to work if they need the job to fulfill an aspiration or to get them out of my hair while I concentrate on one or two Sims. And, I get annoyed when Sims work funky hours that get them out of sync with the rest of household and the daily routine (though that *is* realistic, I realise).
I like the idea of some more ordinary careers - law, education, etc. I know many Simmers really wanted to go to work with their Sims, so I can't fault the developers for adding the active careers, but they don't interest me at all.