By Ysolt Usigan

Attendance and participation during parents' days at school...
Lending a homework helping hand on activities like making a 40-foot-long map of the Solar System...
Reading with your kids after school and before bed time...
Vacations, road trips, and day outings...

How can any professional partake in all the responsibilities of being a parent and still progress in a demanding job? Many have often wondered the same thing, which is why we asked five pros how they manage their parental priorities with challenging positions.

Read on for their advice on how to find a family-friendly career.

Career Pro: Kevin Salwen of Atlanta, GA
Job Status: Editor of Worthwhile
Family Caliber: Wife (Joan) and two kids (Hannah, 12 and Joseph, 10)
Parental Advice: Find a company that understands and shares your values.

In the spring, when Kevin Salwen coaches his son's little league baseball team, he leaves the office by 4 p.m. to make it to the field on time. "Do I work less? Of course not," he explains. "What happens instead is that my work resumes at 9 p.m. once my kids are in bed."

In fact, those late evening hours are the most productive for Salwen because he's free from office distractions. Such flexibility allows the editor of a the magazine to better handle the competing claims in his life - two kids, a marriage, and Worthwhile, which he co-founded.

The literary father of two set out to develop a publication for those demanding a deeper, more meaningful connection to their work. Even venturing off to accomplish such intense task, Salwen made it a point to maintain a personal/professional balance.

"Work and life are intertwined. Hannah and Joseph are the centerpiece of [mine and my wife's] collective world," explains the 46-year-old. Calls in the office regarding kids; working from home; or leaving early to be with them are all part of being a working parent, he explains. "I rarely insist that my employees be in the office, and I don't care how many hours they work." Salwen trusts that the work will get done without him having to watch over his employees like he's their parent.

His advice to family-oriented job seekers: "Make sure the organization you work for understands and shares your values." Salwen says to you should also consider whether the company cares about the community or the environment. After all, your kids are the future; an organization that looks to the long-term as well as the bottom line is always a good sign.

Career Pro: Jim Kerby of Wheaton, IL
Job Status: Project Manager for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Family Caliber: Wife (Sue) and three kids (Tom, 10; Steve, 8; and Charlie, 6)
Parental Advice: Home computer access is key when it comes to maximizing your family time.

Jim is the head engineer for the LHC Accelerator Project (an eight-year, $200 million international enterprise to develop, construct, and deliver components for the Large Hadron Collider, what will become the world's largest particle accelerator). He is also the deputy head of engineering for the company's fabrication department leading 100 employees. Sounds overwhelming, but he's quick to point out that he also finds time to ride his bike, play sports, and travel with his three sons. And he is in the process of earning his master's degree from Purdue University's Krannert School of Management (West Lafayette, Ind.).

Jim makes it all work by taking some of his classes online and working on the LHC Accelerator Project at his convenience from home. Remote access to his company's network and the ability to set his own work and class schedule helps the 41-year-old maximize the time he has available away from his obligations as a husband and dad.

The only thing in Jim's life that is suffering: His hobbies. "School is my current 'hobby' and then some, I guess," he realizes. "I'm reading textbooks as opposed to novels."

Luckily, it is his organization skills and ability to focus on whatever task is at hand that keeps his different roles balanced. None of his responsibilities are ever neglected, he points out. "More importantly, blocking out time for family is critical to making it all work." Especially since his sons and his supportive wife are more important than any job or degree, he adds.

Career Pro: Brian Johnson of Milton, PA
Job Status: Director of Multicultural Affairs and Special Assistant to the President at Susquehanna University
Family Caliber: Wife (Darlene) and two kids (TK, 8 and TK, 6)
Parental Advice: Working for a school is as family-friendly as it gets.

It helps that Brian Johnson works for a very family-friendly institution, especially since he juggles a career as a department director and president's assistant with a vigorous educational venture at Nova Southeastern University (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.).

The doctorate in education student balances his personal life, two jobs, and online schooling with the understanding that those roles remain in that order. "I am definitely a family man first," he attests. "My wife and kids are crucial to my existence; I will never stop living for them."

Lucky for Brian, his current position offers many perks with his family in mind. "It really helps to work at a university where so many people - from the president down - have young children," explains Brian Johnson, father of two. "We have a really family-oriented campus - from hosting family picnics to holding family-friendly events during major student weekends in which our kids can take part."

To top it all off, when it comes time for Johnson's kids to consider college, they'll have the option of going to Susquehanna for free!

Career Pro: Rob Bennett of Purcellville, VA
Job Status: Freelance writer of nonfiction books
Family Caliber: Wife (Boo) and two kids (Timothy, 5 and Robert, 3)
Parental Advice: Save to obtain financial freedom, then you'll have the opportunity to work for yourself.

For Rob Bennett, a family-friendly career was one in which he was his own boss. He's able to set his own schedule, take vacations when he wants, and stay at home with his young children.

Depending on your line of work, this could be a difficult task. Setting up a nest egg, however, will make the venture easier for you and your family, Rob points out.

"It was hard to get started as a freelance writer," he explains. "My strategy was to develop enough financial independence so that I wouldn't panic in the event that it took my [writing] business several years to take off."

Once Rob saved enough to cover essentials - housing, food, health insurance, etc. - he quit his job in corporate journalism at Ernst & Young to pursue nonfiction writing. The 48-year-old calls his approach "Passion Saving."

"Change the reason you save, and you'll find that saving becomes easy and fun," he attests. Of course, this isn't something that can be pulled off in six months or even a year. "It takes time to save enough to be able to afford the shift away from typical corporate work."

The strain on your bank account isn't worth one cent of a frivolous purchase, he says. Because of his "Passion Saving" plan, Bennett eats all his meals with his family, takes his boys to the park or the pool every day, and spends more time with his wife who's also a stay-at-home parent. And that's worth more than anything else, he says.

Career Pro: Louie Heaton of Fort Worth, TX

Job Status: Deputy Program Manager of F-16 Programs in Italy, Turkey, and Venezuela for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Family Caliber: Wife (Valerie), two kids (Christine, 26 and Christopher, tk), and two grandchildren (James Ryan, 6 and Anna, 1)

Parental Advice: Seek great benefits, perks, and compensation.

Louie Heaton doesn't march to the money horn, but he understands that a company with reasonable compensation and excellent benefits are paramount when it comes to raising a family. "My company recognizes the importance of creating a family-friendly environment - and its subsequent positive impact on employee productivity," explains the deputy program manager. "The medical benefits are excellent and the holiday and vacation compensation are more than ample."

And if that wasn't enough to keep family-oriented professionals happy at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, the organization boasts a work schedule that allows employees to have every other Friday off providing more time to spend with family.

Now that Louie's two children are on their own and married with their own families, the 52-year-old spends those free Fridays online taking cyber classes. "Many positions within my company require a master's degree, plus the education I'm receiving is very applicable to my present business environment," he says.

His enrollment in the University of Phoenix's (Phoenix, AZ) master of arts in organizational management program is life-friendly, he says. "Since I travel frequently [for work], an online degree was the only solution."

Even with the added demands of student status to an intense career persona, Louie always places family at the top of his list. "Dealing with complex technical problems in an international environment makes the challenge of school and family all the more satisfying," he explains. "My accomplishments can be shared with family and friends, all who've made a positive impact. It's important to maintain priorities and the perspective that family always comes first."