"Jeanie Brisbois sits in her cramped office, next to a loud air conditioner and a noisy walkie-talkie.

Her job, as an office manager for the local vehicle pool, isn’t glamorous.

But she is content -- and in many ways, her contentedness is clear evidence of her unusual experience in today’s recession.

Jeanie Brisbois: “This job pays really well, so I’d miss the money if I left here.”

Last year, like many workers, she lost her job.

For a few months, she lived off some money she had socked away for retirement.

She says she’s lucky, Brisbois knows others don’t have the luxury of a 401(k) to take money out of.

Jeanie Brisbois: “At first I was wondering if that was the right thing to do, but then when I heard everyone was losing money on their 401k's, I was kinda glad I did. I used that to live on for a year.”

But a few months later, Brisbois applied for – and got – this job, at the vehicle pool for the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs."

Get the Story:
Hard Times: Life On The Reservation Full Of Challenges (Oregon Public Broadcasting 10/15)