If you live in Illinois, you’re in luck. You have access to five student loan forgiveness programs specifically for residents in your state—across a range of professions. They are:

• The Illinois Teachers Loan Repayment Program
• The John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program
• The Nurse Educator Loan Repayment Program
• The Public Interest Attorney Loan Assistance Program
• Veterans' Home Medical Providers' Loan Repayment Program

If you live in Idaho, you have access to a student loan forgiveness program just for people in your state. It’s the Idaho State Loan Repayment Program.

The Idaho State Loan Repayment Program is for medical, mental health, and dental professionals who work for nonprofits or public entities in regions the federal government designates as Health Professional Shortage Areas.

If you live in Indiana, you may qualify for a student loan forgiveness program just for people who live in your state: the Richard M. Givan Loan Repayment Assistance Program Scholarship.

This program is designed to encourage lawyers to work with nonprofits that serve low-income clients. How it works: Attorneys at these organizations are offered forgivable student loans. This removes the barrier to accepting a job that may not come with the salary necessary to pay back law school loans.

If you got something in the mail from Great Lakes and you don’t recognize the name, you may be wondering if it’s legit. And that’s a reasonable thing to wonder. Chances are, if you have student loans, you get a lot of shady offers in the mail. 

But don't throw out that Great Lakes envelope right away. Why? Great Lakes is, indeed, a legit company. In fact, they might even be your student loan servicer. 

Think you might qualify to get your federal student loans forgiven under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program? Here’s a step-by-step on how to qualify—and how to get your loans forgiven.

See also: Is Public Service Loan Forgiveness All it's Cracked Up to Be? 4 Things to Know

If you’re struggling to pay off your student loans, it could be tempting to cash in some of your free time for…well, cash. If you have a car, driving for Lyft or Uber—or both—might seem like the perfect option.

So is it worth it to be an Uber Driver? Maybe. On the high end, some drivers claims to make around $90,000 per year. On the low end, some drivers are barely making minimum wage. Obviously, there are a lot of factors that play into your potential earnings. Let's take a closer look.