Your company 401(k) is actually a really good investment if they offer a match (most plans tend to now). A match works by matching your contribution of your paycheck that you add to the plan per year, up to a certain percentage point.

Let's say your company match is 100% up to 3%. This means that if you make 100k/yr, if you send contribute 3% of you paycheck each yeah then the company will also add 3% of you salary to your account. You add 3k, and your company adds 3k, for a total of 6k into your account for that year. However, if you contribute 5% (5k), you're company still only will add a maximum match of 3% of your paycheck into your account. You add 5k, your company adds 3k, for 8k in your account. While it is always good to save more than less, you will not receive more than 3% from your company.

You then also get access to a portfolio of funds that you can choose to invest in. This fund lineup is pretty limited, as it is limited to the 20-40 funds that were chosen to be offered within the plan. However, they are usually across many different asset classes, allowing you to be as risky/aggressive as you'd like, as you can choose the allocation in your account.

You should be aware of your company's vesting period, however. This affects the match money that is legally yours if you decide to leave the company. For example, if there is a 2 year vesting period, you will be vested 0%, 50% after year 1, and 100% after year 2. This is how much of the total company match you get to keep should you leave. If you leave between year 1 and 2, with a 3% match, then you get to keep only half of the match (1.5%, 1500 instead of 3k). The other 1.5% goes back to the company.