I've seen advice (on Reddit or GameFAQs, I think) to pursue all the tradeskills, but I get the feeling the original intention of the game was that you'd pursue no more than three (i.e. the number of tradeskill Souls you can have at once), and use the Market to trade what you don't need for what you do need. I can see the self-sufficiency idea behind leveling all the tradeskills, but the word "tiresome" comes to mind. (For the record, the top three I'm aiming at are Alchemy, Blacksmithing, and Carpentry.)

What suggestions for a novice?