<i>&gt; An 18 year old with no job and no credit history is going to have a hard time getting a credit card with a $5k limit</i><p>Wow, citation please? Credit card companies set up pop-up stands and give away free t-shirts to students who apply for their credit cards. The VAST majority of the applications are happily approved.<p>Update: excellent citation kileywm. I guess my perception was a bit dated.