What did Shakespeare's father do for a living?

Shakespeare's father had many jobs, as a matter of fact.  Some other interesting details:

He was a farmer.

He was the official town beer-taster.

He traded wool, and it is believed that he did this trading illegally.

He was a money lender - what might today be called a "loan shark".

John Shakespeare was fairly wealthy early on, but at some point he hit a low point.  By the time Shakespeare was becoming a man, his father was losing respectability and out of the town records, meaning that he no longer held office.