It’s the end of those wonderful, wild college years, and you’ve done everything you needed to prepare yourself for the real world; your resume is spotless, you’ve developed professional ethics, and your suit is ironed and ready. Despite all these things, there is still one thing missing: a credit history.

Establishing good credit lets the world know that you are financially responsible by making payments on something that you did not have the money for when it was purchased; it shows that you are trustworthy with not only your own money, but others’ as well. Without it, it is nearly impossible for students to be able to make major purchases, such as a car or a house, in later years. In some cases having bad credit could keep a student from even getting a good job.

So how can college students begin to establish good credit ? Simply follow these baby steps, and you will find yourself closer to financial independence.