WENTWORTH, N.C. (AP) -- Robert and Angela Wilson say they are opposites in many ways, from the foods they eat to the cars they like.

But these days, the Eden couple, married just three years, have a lot more in common. Both were laid off from their jobs at Hanesbrands in November 2008. Both made the decision to return to school. And both hope to become respiratory therapists upon graduation.

A year into their educations, the Wilsons say they are managing without jobs, enjoying school and looking forward to the future.

Initially, Angela Wilson was wondering whether she could juggle school, housework and being a mom to her 13-year-old daughter.

"I just didn't know if I could handle it all," she said.

"But she's doing good," her husband said.

Having both breadwinners unemployed is not uncommon among families in Rockingham County who have worked in the manufacturing industry, said Gordon Allen, who heads the Employment Security Commission office here.

"That does happen and it has happened, and that's a real beast to contend with," Allen said.

Manufacturing jobs once abounded in Rockingham County. When people secured those types of jobs, Allen said, they encouraged family members to follow. "It was a way to make a good living," he said.

The Wilsons lost their jobs on the same day. Angela, 39, was a 19-year veteran of the company who worked as the lead shipping and receiving clerk. Robert, 35, was a 15-year employee who worked as a mechanic.

"I loved my job," Angela Wilson said recently. "For around here, the pay was decent. It paid the bills."

The couple didn't think they could get jobs paying as much as they made at Hanesbrands. Angela had a salary in the low 30s, and Robert earned as much as $45,000 a year once all of his overtime was factored in.

So they decided to hold off on the job hunt and return to school together in January 2009. Money from the Workforce Investment Act is paying for their studies.

When asked who's the stronger student, Angela Wilson points to her husband. He was an average student in high school, but he has made the dean's list since he's been at RCC.

"She's strong, too," Robert Wilson said, adding that he just picks up the material faster.

"I like it," his wife said of school. "I just had to adjust."

After leaving their early-morning classes, the Wilsons usually head straight home to hit the books. They spend as many as four hours a day studying.

She is taking an English class, and he has anatomy this semester. They study in separate rooms at home, Angela Wilson said.

Tasks as simple as checking the mailbox or going through the drive-through at McDonald's are considered study breaks, her husband said.

Robert Wilson tinkers with cars or watches TV to relax. Studying and money concerns don't allow for much else. "You feel homebound," he said.

The couple's financial worries are eased somewhat because they used their 401(k)s to pay off their home, and both their vehicles are also paid for.

Still, they live on unemployment benefits and don't have any health insurance.

But the Wilsons say setting a good example for Angela's daughter, their supportive families and thoughts of the future keep them going.

Robert Wilson is looking forward to applying to the respiratory therapy program this semester. They both hope to get jobs at one of the larger hospitals nearby, and possibly move to the Greensboro area.

And Robert Wilson is fulfilling a dream he's had since he was a teenager. A good-paying job lured him away from college, but he always regretted not continuing his education .

"Now, I'm just happy to be doing it," he said.