You always have the option of coming in as a Commoner, and picking your profession In-Game It hinders you a bit because you need to spend 2 months catching up on learning basic skills, but it can also be a LOT of fun, and it lets you talk to PCs In-Game to choose what you want to be.
It can certainly be a lot of fun, but as someone who has gone this route, I should also mention that it is not without its frustration, as for example, it took me about four or five months to get Kwildar to the point where he was doing anything truly useful...
But man, I don't think I would've wanted to have brought this character concept into game in any other manner. If you don't mind being behind the curve on a lot of things for a while, it's certainly a rewarding way of starting a character, gives a real sense of accomplishment at the character's growth.
