i (think) i'm getting fantasy life for my birthday (which is in two days) and i'm really excited! i was wondering what profession i should start out with, i'm considering either angler, cook, or magician... any suggestions?
Really, it doesn't matter which Life you pick, because anyone can finish the story outside of the DLC.
I do highly recommend you start with practically any Combat Life, because the daggers are the least useful weapons in the game. Choosing one of the four is up to you depending on your playstyle.
I have to say that Mercenary is for the most seasoned gamers, as you really have to know how your enemies attack, so you know when to land hits or not.Paladin seems to be an easier version of the former Life, since you can use shields to reduce a lot of damage, should you be in a situation where you can't absolutely avoid getting damaged. Magician starts out pretty weak, but they do get a lot stronger than the other Lifes if you properly master it, which is very good for both beginners and experts. Hunter is also great for beginners, but they don't pack that much of punch if you're the kind of people who likes dishing a lot of damage.
Once you've chosen your Combat Life, get all the Gather Lifes (Woodcutter, Miner, Angler). It's much nicer to have collected a lot of Star Points and stuff for these 3 Lifes along with your Combat one rather than doing one Life at a time. There are certain Star Quests that needs to be done with a certain active Life, but plenty of them don't even bother.
Next up is the Crafting Lifes (Blacksmith, Carpenter, Tailor, Cook, Alchemist). These are where your gathered materials will become useful. You can not only craft items that can be found on stores, but you can even make them better and perhaps the ones that won't be found on stores, nor enemy drops.
Basically, you'll want to get a license for every single Life at the very beginning of the game. Trust me, you'll be way better than if you were to stick to a few Lifes. That's the beauty of playing Fantasy Life!