The short answer is "it depends on who you're roleplaying with".
I, personally, have never had a problem with separating IC from in-game. I don't need someone to be a 3-star Level 60 culinarian to tell me their character is a master chef, and I don't need someone to have thirty million in-game gil and an in-game mansion to tell me that their character is wealthy. I don't need a level 60 pugilist in i240 gear in order to believe that a character is a strong monk, and so on.
Some people will take the integration more seriously than others. Some people you may roleplay with might not believe your character is a thaumaturge if you don't even have thaumaturge unlocked. I'm fairly certain that the majority are very relaxed on this--especially because a lot of people, myself included, roleplay a "class" that doesn't really have a firm in-game equivalent--but you'll find hardcases and extreme examples everywhere.
So I'd say, don't let the game hinder your imagination. I personally would level the classes just for the sake of my own immersion, but if you don't feel that's necessary, I see no reason for you to invest in it if you feel you don't have to. It wouldn't stop me from roleplaying with you.
I, personally, have never had a problem with separating IC from in-game. I don't need someone to be a 3-star Level 60 culinarian to tell me their character is a master chef, and I don't need someone to have thirty million in-game gil and an in-game mansion to tell me that their character is wealthy. I don't need a level 60 pugilist in i240 gear in order to believe that a character is a strong monk, and so on.
Some people will take the integration more seriously than others. Some people you may roleplay with might not believe your character is a thaumaturge if you don't even have thaumaturge unlocked. I'm fairly certain that the majority are very relaxed on this--especially because a lot of people, myself included, roleplay a "class" that doesn't really have a firm in-game equivalent--but you'll find hardcases and extreme examples everywhere.
So I'd say, don't let the game hinder your imagination. I personally would level the classes just for the sake of my own immersion, but if you don't feel that's necessary, I see no reason for you to invest in it if you feel you don't have to. It wouldn't stop me from roleplaying with you.
