I was halfway through paying off my car loan, finally making progress on my $15,000 in credit card debt I racked up when I was in school – when suddenly, I got laid off. Oof.

A few weeks went by, and after close to 100 job applications - many of which weren't even close to my field - I was in a panic.

I already live in a pretty small apartment, and now, I wasn't going to be able to afford the minimum credit card payments each month. Something would have to change.

I even thought about going for a clean slate: bankruptcy. But that meant a massive black mark on my credit score for the next 10 years.

Plus, bankruptcy could impact my job search, not to mention my future. I knew I needed to find a better alternative.

While desperately searching for any solution, I discovered a company called Pacific Debt. Pacific Debt works to negotiate your debt down and lets you pay it off at a lower interest rate. I qualified with over $10,000 in debt, so I looked into it.

I saw they have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and a plethora of positive reviews from customers who were out of, or getting out of debt.

I liked that there are zero upfront fees - you only pay if they are able to reduce your debt. Then, any charge is rolled into your new monthly payments, so it's easy to afford and keep track of.

I took a questionnaire online that qualified me as a candidate. As soon as I called to talk to a representative, I was impressed by the quality of their customer service. They reassured me that they wouldn't charge me anything if they weren't able to negotiate my debt down to a level I agreed to.

They said that they're often able to settle (or negotiate), and have settled over $200 million for customers so far. I decided to give it a chance, since I had nothing to lose, and definitely wanted to avoid bankruptcy.

Given my initial skepticism, I was pleasantly surprised when they were able to negotiate my debt and reduce my monthly payments to a level I could actually afford. I was immediately put on a track to get out of debt.

Now, I'm paying a lot less than I used to, and I couldn't believe that Pacific Debt was even able to actually negotiate down my total amount owed!

After being unemployed for a few months, I finally got a new management-level job with a higher salary than I had before! I'm so glad I didn't opt for bankruptcy since it is visible to employers and I may not have ever gotten the job.

Getting out of debt may seem like an impossible task, but the first step was just a simple phone call. It was the best call I ever made.

The associate on the other end of the phone was so nice, and was able to find a unique plan that worked for me. Give Pacific Debt a call at (855) 935-0243to see how they can help you. There's nothing to lose, but so much to gain!