<human>: Hello folks of personalfinance!

I've read this subreddit on occasion, and picked out a few good bits of knowledge.  I'd like to try to understand something a little better.  I've read (more than once), that you shouldn't spend money to build your credit; you should let it happen naturally by doing the right things (pay your bills, etc.).  But, it seems like the best advice for young people (I'm still young, maybe?) is to get a credit card and use it responsibly.

As a recent college grad, with absolutely no debts (I was a well awarded merit scholar with my tuition paid in full), I can't seem to find a credit card that's willing to take a risk on me.  Unless I get a secured card, which costs $300+.  

Perhaps I'm just misunderstanding the advice, but that sounds a lot like spending money on your credit score.  Do I just need to bite the bullet and pay $300+ to start building some credit?  Are there other options?  Thanks for any knowledge.  :)

Could you distill the essence of the text into 1-3 sentences?
<bot>: Graduated college.  No student loans.  No credit history.  Can't get a credit card without forking over $300+.  What do?