If you have a little more time then another option available to you is your 401K plan. If you are to directly withdraw money from your 401K plan then you will be taxed heavily on it and may be disadvantaging yourself later in life. However if you make arrangements with your employer to repay amount withdrawn then this is not true. When you arrange to repay deduction you are not taxed nearly as heavily on your withdrawal and although you will loose some interest in long run it is much better than retiring without repaying debt.

If you do not wish to utilize you 401K plan then your next best option is a third party lender. A third party lender can process your loan application and give you a check same day. Third party lenders will charge more interest than a bank but it is a fraction of what a pay day loan company will charge. Most third party unsecured loans with average FICO scores are less than 20% while a pay day loan company charges and average of 600% for their loans. The amount available will vary with lenders but most companies will not lend less than $750. If you find that you only need $300 and lowest amount you can borrow is $1,000 then makes sure that you apply all or at least 80% of unused amount on loan. The faster you repay loan better it is for you.

If you have a cash emergency there are various options available to you depending upon how much time you have. Be sure to carefully consider your options before deciding to use a pay day loan company. With a little work you may be able to secure a loan for amount that you need within 2 days at a reasonable interest rate.

Depending upon direction that you wish to take you may consider volunteering for public service exchange for your education. The U.S Military, National Health Service Corps and Americorps will all pay for your education in exchange for being a reserve member of a short tour of duty. Your tour of duty may be as short as 10 months or as long as 8 years depending upon choices you make. This option may also benefit you since you may be able to serve in such a way that you also gain valuable work experience.

Another option to consider is where you need to go to school and when. With many programs first few years are general studies and only last few years are specifically targeted at your intended career. For this reason you may be able to save yourself a lot of money by starting your education at a local community college and then transferring to a university to complete your studies. Your career guidance councilor will be able to help make sure that credits you are earning at college are transferable to university that you intend to attend.

Getting a higher education is a requirement for everyone but doesn't have to leave you with a high debt load. With some careful planning when you are in college and by doing a little extra work you will be able to greatly reduce costs of your higher education. And of course more you reduce your student loans sooner you will be free and clear and rapidly moving ahead with your career and life style that you rightly deserve.