Putting the shovel down and climbing out...

I've been reading the forums for about a week or so now, mainly checking out the FAQ and reading other people's stories and issues trying to get a feel for what my moves should be.

I feel like my personal situation is a bit different than what I've read most on here- most people seem to have current issues with creditors, are preparing to fight against or back with creditors, or have a few things different than my situation.

Basically, I am looking for ways or techniques to IMPROVE my credit that I screwed up here and there over time while I was young.

The main points of my story are this:

- got into college on 75% scholarships but took student loans to "make it" on my own; graduated with about $15,000 in loans that I ignored for about 6 months, went into default- got out and now I pay as required
- got a credit card sophomore year and maxed out $500...but ignored payments for most part and paid sporadically. carried a bad ratio but eventually paid it all off and closed it (dumb, I now know) once I graduated.
- same deal as above, but with a Target card...paid it off and closed it (again, I know now)
- while moving around in college, I left a couple of "last bills" for utilities unpaid that went to collections

So a few years later after being turned down for a few things here and there, it hits me. I have a good job and make pretty good money, but realize others have things I don't mainly because of one thing- credit. I make the money to afford and make the payments on many things, but not the credit to be approved for them.

I started contacting all the collection companies and paid up. Now, the crazy thing is that I have no open accounts EXCEPT for my student loans...which I am proud to say I have been paying on time every month for over a year now. No credit cards open, no mortgage, no car payment, no pending or open collections, nothing of that nature.

However, my credit is in bad shape because of bad mistakes in such a short credit history- and I can't even get approved for a decent car loan if I tried I'm sure. My credit report basically shows the closed accounts that were paid off, the ones sold to collection agencies that I paid off, and the (bad) history I had with each.

With ALL of that said (sorry so long for a newbie but I've been reading a LOT and now have so much to say)...what should my next step be to start BUMPING my credit score?

Open a credit card and pay bills...except actually pay the bill this time? I have no credit cards and feel like that isn't a good idea- seems I need some open line of credit besides my student loans.

Take small dummy loans out and hold them for a bit and then pay them off?

Anyhow, I'm going to shut up and listen to any comments or questions you guys have- maybe that will make this easier for those of you more experienced.

I'm really glad I have found this forum- so many gimmick sites out there that claim to help you with your credit only to scam you or sell you on something that will ruin it even more. Thanks for any and all help!