I don't care about my credit score. As far as jobs go, work for yourself. If you are looking for a job nowadays, good luck with that; unemployment hasn't been this high since 1983. I'm sure many people nowadays have a lousy credit score, with all the layoffs and foreclosures. I'm an entrepreneur and it's great working for yourself. I don't have a boss telling me what to do each day and telling me that I can only take 2 weeks vacation each year. I take 3 months off in the summer each year and travel around Europe. Couldn't do that working for a company, plus companies want you to work for them for peanuts, and each day you have to worry about getting fired, just so they can outsource your job to someone else who is willing to work for $1/day. Try living here on $1/day; you are better off living as a farmer like the Amish. As far as loans go, buy a home and a car in cash if you could, so you don't have to worry about paying interest, your credit score, or ever losing it because of non-payment. If you can't buy a car in cash, buy some cheap $1,000 car. Forget about keeping up with the Joneses, which is the problem with many people in this country, which causes their debt to spiral out of control. If you can't buy a house in cash, live with your parents, save your money, and then buy a house in cash.