Jobs are tough to get these days, and education can be the deciding factor for a hiring manager. A college degree or just more training can be expensive, but it isn’t completely out of reach. With the right help and a little planning, you can put yourself at the top of that hiring manager’s list.

The biggest hurdle you’ll have to leap over to get a better education is your finances. Money shouldn’t be the deciding factor for you. You can go to school part-time while you continue to work. Check with the business you’re now employed with and see if they offer any tuition assistance. Many corporations do help pay for school if they believe the extra training will be to their advantage.

Although loans are an option, try to avoid them as much as possible. If you can fund your schooling without incurring debt, then try to do it that way. Save as much as you can, and then load a Vision prepaid card with money for tuition. Only use that card for that purpose. Continue to load school money on to the card as you earn it. Prepaid cards are a great way to manage education finances.

Since life can be uncertain, it gets very tempting to dip into those education funds and spend them in other ways. If you can set up automatic payments with the card, then do that. Put the card away for safe keeping if you just can’t handle the temptation of having it in your wallet. Upon graduation, you’ll be very glad you did it this way and avoided any unwanted debt.