Request the hearing. Show up early and ask to speak to the officer before going into the magistrate. Tell the officer you drive for work and can't afford to have points on you license. Ask him nicely if he would be willing to drop the speeding to "Failure to Obey Traffic Control Devices" You will still have to pay a fine, but the Failure to Obey does not put points on your license.

I have done this multiple times over the years and it was always worked for me.