'Happy to be working again'
- Name: Fred Royal, 40
- Place: Houston, Texas
When I last spoke with CNNMoney in January, the timing couldn't have been worse. Unemployed for nine months, I had just relocated to a smaller, cheaper apartment in Houston when I found out that federal unemployment benefits were running out.
Two weeks later, I received an offer for a job. The job wasn't exactly what I had wanted, but I knew I had to do something very quickly or I would lose my home and become homeless.
I am now an account representative, which is a fancy new title for a collector at a financial company. The job pays less than what I was making on unemployment benefits, but it's a job nonetheless. I've had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to stay afloat.
I also re-enrolled in school. I'm continuing to pursue an online bachelors degree in computer information systems with an emphasis on information security at the University of Phoenix. Hopefully once I have completed my schooling my future will be a lot brighter, but I am happy to be at least working somewhat again.
