Gotcha - although it's not quite as simple as a good credit score. Income factors in too, and it's awesome if your income-to-debt ratio is such that multiple cards are a possibility. It;s also a game that works FANTASTICALLY if you have the self discipline to use those lines of credit wisely....but it can be a dangerous game for a lot of people.
I could get into a long discussion about how good credit is often a benefit that is born of privilege for many....but that's a WHOLE other thread
I disagree. It's simply a matter of education. My 22 yr old son made sure his student loan payments were never late so as to not damage his credit score. Same with his car payment. Maybe if I didn't warn him of the dangers of the damage from a bad score, he would not be so careful.
It's not an elite club to join. Financial literacy is a graduation requirement in our state.
Comments like this really bother me. Unlike Disney World, out in the real world, no one is going to sprinkle pixie dust and make all your dreams come true. Life is what YOU make of it and no one is going to do the hard work for you. Dh grew up piss poor, one of 6 kids living in SW Philly. They couldn't afford braces and all of his clothes were hand me downs from cousins or came from a thrift store until he was an adult and buying all of his own clothes. Their version of vacation in his childhood meant buying a Sears aluminum garden shed for $100 to sleep in and assembling it in the woods near French Creek, PA. Along with 10 other families from their neighborhood, there were approx. 100 kids there (baby boomers) and they had a blast.
His parents couldn't buy him a car, pay for higher education, our wedding, etc etc. Still he busted his butt to gain more job skills and though he's not setting the world on fire, we're comfortable. Where's his "privilege?"
Earning a higher salary is a matter of supply & demand. 99% of all teenagers can operate a cash register in a fast food joint. Therefore there is a huge supply of people who can do this job. Now if you look at a career such as software engineering or radiation physicist, well now you can't find several of those on every street in the USA so they can command much higher pay.
Some college majors are super hard to find a job in that field. So find something that is in high demand that has a future that employers are willing to pay bigger bucks for.
If you choose to sacrifice $ for job happiness or the feeling of doing something for good for society such as teaching or social worker, that's your choice. Nothing wrong with either of those careers but then you can't blame the world for your choices.
Siren, I don't mean 'you' literally. I see a lot of young people make stupid choices then blame the world for their "bad luck". They spend on stupid things but "can't get ahead".
It's always someone else's fault and when they see successful people, it gets chalked up to "privilege", but never HARD WORK & SACRIFICE.