I was one of these anti-CC people after I graduated from college with over 10k of cc debt to tack on to my student loans. I knew benefits were available for cards, but I didn't think I could manage it.

I dug my way out of the hole, paid off my vehicle and then I applied for a Continental card (the same month they were purchased by United...lol). I found some blogs, which led to flyertalk; the rest is history.