It's about so much more than paying the light bill. Whether you're just starting your first "real" job or are well on your way down a professional path, we're here to encourage you with practical advice for connecting your work and your purpose. That means understanding who God has made you to be and how He's specially gifted you for a work only you can do. Discerning your calling and aligning it with a vocation is a priority for the post college years. It's partly about what's on your resume, but it also has a lot to do with what's in your heart.

Opportunities have never been better for women. But creativity is still needed for the majority of women who say they want both successful careers and families. If you're hoping to have a husband and children, the more flexible your skills and plans are, the better. Some majors and jobs are more accommodating of the unpredictability family generates.

A man's work has always been -- for better or worse -- woven into his identity. Throughout his adult life he can expect to be asked, "So what kind of work do you do?" The sense of accomplishment and reward for a job well done go back to the beginning when God first commissioned men and women to take responsibility for cultivating and subduing the world He gave us. Of course, the headaches of work came shortly after when the curse added "thorns and thistles" to a man's labor and toil in his efforts to provide. Despite the challenges of the curse, a man can still find great joy and purpose "toiling in the garden" (Genesis 3:17-19).

For both men and women, the faithfulness of doing a good job during the single season can be the key way God forms your character. What's He up to and how can you submit to His shaping?