A means to an end (with purpose)

I've always believed that wherever God places us in whatever stage of life, that place is to be our realm of ministry and sphere of influence. As one realm - school - closes, another quickly opens (He really doesn't entertain idleness!). And something tells me that this next stage in life - the workplace - is not going to be an easy ride when our primary job title is not Employee, but rather Christian. Some who have labored in the workplace for some time now view their jobs as a means to an end. A job is a job. While any job can feel like just a job, I choose to believe that if the passion and pursuit is there, God can use any job for His glory and purpose. If the 'end' comes after we have fought the good fight of faith and finished the race, then any job we hold serves as a leg of this race. And it's quite a long leg if I'm supposed to commit +8 hours a day to this job for the next ? while. So it's probably beneficial to make the most use of these long hours, not just indirectly through a paycheck, but directly through our ministry and influence.

On a related note, I read this article that taps into the fruitfulness of jobs: http://www.boundless.org/2005/answers/a0002570.cfm. I really want to start my own (side?) business of some sort in the future (&put that entrepreneurship degree to some practical use) - hope it'll be as fruitful as it'll be fun!