<prompt> Human: EDIT: I have 6 derogatory marks on my credit report most of them from an operation I had when I didnt have insurance - theyre in collections and according to my report, were opened in very early 2017 - I called the collection agency and I explained my situation and they said if I pay in full and set up payments, they will remove it from my report - if I settle, it stays and says paid in full - I took the removed from report option. My oldest account is from 2014, so I think Im just going to ether dispute that one or let it fall off. I have two lines of credit on my report. A credit card from 2007 which I was extremely delinquent on but I paid off in 2009 and my student loan, which Ive missed 8 payments on out of 33. I am attempting to call them to lower payments and I made myself promise to stay on time with my payments.Lastly, I cant open a regular credit card at the moment because my credit SUCKS, so it appears my only option is a secured credit card. My bank offers a secure credit card IF I fail the regular credit card application process. I know a hard inquiry hurts your score, but to me it seems worth it for a minor reduction in score to get a new line of credit. The only thing I can think of is maybe get a contracted phone since they report to the credit agencies ATT and try to stay on time with them. I dont have the means to get financed for a car because, well, my credit sucks, so unless I have a huge down payment Im screwed there too.I just want to know if this is even possible. My options right now are staying current with a loan and getting a secured credit card. I do have some debt I could pay off that was opened early 2017, but I dont know how much paying it will help my score.I see how to improve score in the Wiki but I dont see much about the relative success and possibility of bringing up a really low score.Am I screwed for life?  <response>: Nothing is impossible. 