Few things can feel as lonely, tiring or terrifying as starting out in your working life. And so often it seems the experiences most common among us are the ones we just battle through on our own!

With that in mind, here are five things to support you through the early years of your working life.

1. Re:Work – an experience for people at the start of their working life. It offers you thought-provoking, biblical, and practical insights for the transition into working life and commissions you for your vocational adventure. It includes teaching, worship, storytelling, one-to-one mentoring sessions, and the chance to pray and chat with others going through this transition.

2. Thank God it’s Monday – No one has time to read a 16- volume tome on systematic theology these days but for a light read during your lunch-hour, Chapter 2 of Mark Greene’s Thank God it’s Monday offers a clear and concise introduction to the theology of work in just nine pages. If, however, you prefer your theology on video (and feel at home with American hipsterism) check out this wonderful series.

3. Podcasts – There is wisdom to be found outside of the faith for many of the challenges in work – so long as you keep your discerning head on you as you listen. Podcasts are a dead easy way to get small, sharp doses of wisdom on the world of work, from evidence-based practices to shared-toilet politics. They’re great for passing the time waiting for a delayed train and for realising how not-alone we are in most of our worries and challenges at work. There are loads of work-themed podcasts for you to search through but my favourite is ‘Best Practice’. It’s generally aimed at managers but as a non-manager myself, I find it incredibly insightful for understanding myself as a worker and the organisation I work in.

4. Transforming Work is an opportunity to come together with a group of peers over eight sessions to reflect together on how to thrive more as a Christian at work – creating better products, better services, richer relationships, and making Jesus visible to those around you.

5. Boxsets – Every workplace is its own world that you enter as a foreigner and every workplace is weird in its own way. To help you to see that you’re not alone, dose up on a work-based box set series to remind yourself that there are stranger workplaces out there. My favourites are The Office (UK version, obvs), Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock.

And remember, if you do nothing else…

Connect with the body of Christ throughout the week.

Monday–Friday – Does your workplace have a Christian group? Don’t be alone there – check out: transformworkuk.org who keep a list of them!

Sundays – Join a good local church to share stories of what God does in you and through you at work and to re-orientate and rest in God’s love for you as a worker.

And if it’s not yet on your church’s radar to support and pray for people in their everyday work, send them our way and we’ll do all we can to help them get started!