Dale: There are a lot more people who’d like to work at home than there are at-home jobs, which is why I’m not surprised to learn that you “stumbled onto” your last job via a friend. Turns out that stumbling is important to most careers, and hence, it’s an art worth learning.

J.T.: That is really the art of doing a good job at detective work. Start with your most recent employer. See if you can contact someone there and learn how the project came about, which might enable you to find similar projects. Further, call HR departments directly. And don’t forget to ask those you speak to if they know of any firms that are looking for someone with your skills to work from home. The laws of networking state that your next job gets closer each time you ask, “Do you know anyone who is hiring candidates with skills like mine?”

Dale: At which point you might need to be open to self-employment. Once a company realizes that it doesn’t have to see you to see your work, it’s likely to go all the way and decide that it doesn’t need to see your benefits and employee paperwork, thus giving a workplace meaning to the old saying that freedom isn’t free.