The other day, I was talking to a close friend who has in the past year had to pay for her own schooling for the first time. Previous to this, she was, as most students are assumed to be before a certain age, receiving aid from her parents. Of course, this isn’t true for many American students, which is why some states allow any student over 18 to get student loans on their own accord. But she has not yet reached the age requirement in her particular state. This being said, she has had to find alternate ways to fund her schooling that she cannot pay for immediately through a part time student job.

This being said, she now faces a problem many American students face in her same place. She has an extremely low credit score not because she has ever actually missed a credit card payment or for that matter because she has bad spending habits. Actually, it’s because all of her credit cards are currently maxed out paying for tuition and other school related costs, and she cannot alleviate this until she turns 24, pending the idea that she’s still in school, or she graduates and finds a job, which in this economy is harder and harder every day.

But even for students who are not necessarily in serious credit card debt because they wanted toys or spent money they didn’t have for quite a few years, some are being forced to consider the option of how to consolidate credit card debt. The credit card companies, let’s face it, don’t actually care whether you bought a boat or paid for your Bachelor’s Degree. They care that the debt is there. So one of these days, maybe not when you’re actually ready, they will come calling, demanding their money, and the government bailout isn’t actually motivating some of them to help you out. So some are still having to consider how to consolidate credit card debt.

Now this in itself will give your credit a little ding. It’s a simple fact of life, because let’s face it, the credit card companies take a hit when you make the decision to consolidate credit card debt, and they don’t like it. So they strike back. But what’s the alternative? Being in debt up to your eyeballs for years, defaulting because you can’t afford all the different payments and they’ve demanded the money before you get a chance to actually get a job to pay it all off? Even official student loans are a bit harsh. They don’t demand payment until you graduate. But even if you can’t find a job, they demand payment when you graduate. So while it’s not for everybody and sometimes you can find other ways to do it, sometimes it is better to consolidate credit card debt in the long run. And right now? Right now it will reduce stress levels, give you something more manageable, and all in all, right now credit card consolidation is helping thousands of Americans to take back control of their lives.