Hi guys, thought I would just pop in to maybe give my two cents on Operative vs Sniper. I have a lvl 50 Sniper and rolled an Operative now and here is what I think about it.
Operative in PVE has the advantage of stealth, that alone saved me many headaches for not getting entangled with mobs I did not want to fight. Melee is actually very effective with the combination of self healing if get a little rough for you. Rolling more healing will mean that you need to be decent on keeping not just companions alive, but also potential teammates for group action. As many have said operatives can be on the top of the leader board if they are amazing at their class, but you would want to roll a sniper if in PVP for that purpose. Overall, I would say that an operative is a strong class with the balance of heals and dps to give you a nice hybrid class and keep you rolling forward in PVE. I know from a lot of operatives who we talk with in raids say they love the class so it should be fun if you are looking for this kind of character.
Sniper on the hand is just plain awesome. The damage output you give is amazing in not just PVE, but also PVP. I felt that once I hit 30, it becomes very deadly and keeps getting better as you progress. You must remember as a sniper you will be stationary at times, and should watch yourself up close against mobs and such. Utilize the many stuns, knock backs and counters your given to be the elite on the battlefield. You do not have the luxury of self -heals (aside from meds and biochem) so you need to maximize the damage you can do to defeat opponents quickly. My own little suggestion (if it matters), I rolled an engineering/marksmanship sniper and I have not looked back at all. Shielded probe, area effects and lots more get tremendous boosts and my marksmanship gives me that edge in sniping. With that said you will love the range you are given to take enemies down hard and will enjoy being semi away from the area of conflict where you can manage yourself quite nicely.