When I graduated high school, like many of my contemporaries, I wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grew up. I spent a few years in affordable junior college trying on different hats and figuring out my life plan.

About a year ago, I finally made the decision to throw in the towel and follow my dreams into a career in art. I immediately began calling art schools and schools that offered programs in art, and after finding one that suited my needs, sent in my application, full of high hopes. My counselor was a perky cheerleader who reminded me every time I spoke to her how happy I would be getting to do what I loved for the rest of my life...not that I needed her encouragement in that department. Once I made the decision, I was beside myself with joy.

Like a good girl, I filled out my FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and began mentally preparing for the rest of my life.

I discovered, like many people in my generation, that rising college costs in the US have, in many cases, made the FAFSA alone insufficient to cover tuition. My case was no exception. I did receive a government grant and a Stafford Loan, but there was still a balance remaining that I had no way of covering on my own. Unconcerned, I set about applying for other student loans immediately, sure that, as a responsible student with a high GPA, I would have plenty of loans to pick and choose from.

What I hadn't bargained on, however, was the fact that something that had seemed to be a responsible decision would undermine my hopes and dreams before I had even started.

When I came of age and began receiving mail-offers for credit cards, I declined them all, knowing that far too many young people get themselves into serious debt early in life by opening a credit account. I thought that spending money I actually had would be a far superior choice.

I have never owned a credit card. I have had checking and savings accounts, and a debit card, but never a credit card.

This placed me in a position that I soon learned was even worse than the one I would have been in had I overspent money that was not yet mine. This year I learned, to my surprise, that having bad credit pales in comparison to the stigma of having no credit.

Every credit company I called turned me down. In order for them to fund my education, I need a minimum of 21 months of credit history - almost two years.

Frantically, I turned to scholarships: every high school student

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