Sharon

Sharon, 34, worked in loss mitigation before she was laid off last August. After nearly a year of searching, Sharon accepted a new job. She took significant pay cut to do the same work at another company, in addition to a benefit reduction. Sharon’s husband, Buddy, is an independent contractor, and he is feeling the pressure of having to increase his client base to make up for Sharon’s loss in salary.

My Story
When I was laid off last August, I tried to look at being unemployed as an opportunity to change fields. Loss mitigation is a high-pressure and impersonal job. I quickly learned that I didn’t have many options. I don’t qualify for retraining assistance and can’t afford going back to school without it.

My husband dealt with his share of stress while I was unemployed as well. He is a contractor, so he struggled to find more work to make up for my lost salary. However, work is slow right now for contractors—people don’t have as much money to spare on projects.

I just found a new job, also in loss mitigation. I do the same job, just at another company for a lower salary. My benefits are worse; my insurance contribution went up from $17 a month to $180.

It’s depressing to be set back like this. I live in a small town, and factories keep shutting down or laying off people. We used to be known as the furniture capital of the world. Now our crime rate is increasing as more and more businesses close.

Supposedly our economy is getting better, but I don’t see it her in High Point. Something has to change.