Tory's Plan for Dad Who Wants to Work at Home

Nov. 27, 2006 — -- Seven-month-old Jacob Johnson is his parents' pride and joy.

Like so many new arrivals, though, his birth has meant huge changes for mom and dad, Erin and Matt.

The biggest change is about to come. After months of talking and going over their budgets, the Johnsons realized they didn't want to put their son in day care or with nannies.

"I feel it's important that a family member be involved in the day-to-day care-taking," Erin said.

Matt works as a plumber; Erin has a job as a manager for 3-M, with much better benefits and pay.

"It didn't make much sense for me to quit because basically we couldn't sustain a family on just Matt's income," Erin said.

So while Matt is looking forward to lots of time to bond with his son, he's hoping he can find some part-time work with a flexible schedule to bring in a little extra money as a cushion for the family's tight budget.

He was one of the thousands of "Good Morning America" viewers to write to workplace contributor Tory Johnson for advice about working from home.

"We are hoping we can find something computer-related," Matt said. "We've actually looked into home typist, data entry, medical record billing."

The search so far has been frustrating. The Internet and want ads have not panned out, but Matt is being patient, hoping it will all be worth it in the end.

"We don't want to make a jump without a parachute," he said. "We want to be able to jump and know that we are going to be able to land safely."

Tory Johnson says that contrary to conventional wisdom, the holidays can be the perfect time to look for a job.

"In fact, this is a great time to get organized and get out there," she said. "Everyone is in holiday mode this time of year, which means they're more open to chatting informally."

This is also the time of year for holiday parties and get-togethers, both inside and outside the workplace, and the perfect opportunity for networking.

Matt also worried that there were fewer work-from-home opportunities for men. Tory Johnson, though, says gender is irrelevant to employers.