It depends on where you are in life whether or not it is easy to get credit. Many of us find ourselves in the position of needing credit after we’ve wrecked our rating by buying things we didn’t really need. I started my credit career in the most innocent of ways – in college. I got it just so I could start a credit history for later on. I assumed just having it would be enough, that I didn’t need to use it. I was soon told otherwise and after buying a $2.00 pair of shoes that I didn’t need, I was on my way to a large amount of debt. To this day I do not know if that piece of advice was true. What I do know is this – it’s not a good idea to buy things you don’t need with money you don’t have. I believe credit cards have their uses. They are good for online purchases since they usually offer some form of protection if you don’t receive the merchandise or your card is used fraudulently. I would not recommend that anyone get one until they have a job, though. And I don’t mean the job you’ve got to work your way through school – I mean a real job that you make real money at. If you’re scrimping to get by, you don’t need the additional bill that comes with a credit card. Once out of school it can be more difficult to get a credit card and it takes work to find the best credit cards. Look for one that doesn’t have an annual fee and one that has a low interest rate. If you need to make a balance transfer, look for one with the lowest fee to do so. Also, try to get a card that is accepted at a lot of locations. I’d say steer well clear of department store credit cards since their interest rates are usually high and they obviously limit where you can use the card. Credit cards are not inherently evil – they have their place. Remember, though, that credit card companies are out to make a profit off of you. Don’t make it easy for them.