.article__image { visibility: hidden; display: none; } You can damage your credit in a matter of weeks, but rebuilding it can take months — sometimes, years. For many, rebuilding a damaged credit score means changing long-held spending habits, opening new accounts or disputing incorrect information on credit reports, all while staying current on payments. It’s not easy to do, especially when you’re short on cash. We talked to three people who have made major improvements to their credit scores in the past few years, and they told us how they did it. The Mechanic Before: 560 After: 754 Ashley and Mike O’Shea The low point: Mike O’Shea of Pittsburgh started college at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994 with just $25 in his pocket. “We were kind of poor,” he says.