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Having the windows of your car tinted has many benefits.
Here are a few of those benefits:

There are several things you will want to take into consideration when you decide to tint your windows:

1. Tint Laws. Tint laws vary from state to state. In many states, there are limitations on which windows can be tinted, and how dark the tint is allowed to be. It's likely that a car that doesn't follow the state's tint laws will fail the annual state inspection. In many cases, the driver can even be ticketed by a police officer for window tint violations.
Click here to see Brad Cuppy's compilation of tint laws in North America.

2. How Dark Do You Want It? You will want to choose a tint darkness that you will be comfortable with while driving at night. Window tint darkness is measured in percent of light transmission, or how much light is allowed to pass through. For example, 20% tint is darker than 50% tint. Tint can get as dark as 5% (Limo tint).

3. Type of Tint. Not all window tint films are created equal. There are two major types of tint, dyed and metallized. Cheap tint is dyed. Dyed tint will turn purple in a few years because the UV rays of the sun fade the dye in the tint. Metallized tint is the good stuff. The dark color is made from tiny particles of metal. This type of tint is the best, and should last many years without ever fading to the ugly purple color. Some metallized tints contain some dyes, so the tint will eventually turn purple, but not nearly as quickly or as noticeably as dyed tint. To ensure that the tint you are getting is 100% metallized with no dye, make sure the tint has a 100% Lifetime Warranty against fading and discoloration. 3M sells both metallized and dyed tints, avoid the Panther series as it is dyed. Sun Gard only sells dyed tint which will turn purple after about 2 years. Llumar and Solar Gard tint films are high-quality metallized tints.

4. Do It Yourself, or Pay Someone? If you're an avid Do It Yourselfer, you may want to tackle the job of applying the tint yourself. However, be aware that applying tint is not an easy task! It is very difficult for an amatuer to do a professional job of applying tint. It could easily prove to be an overwhelming job. It may be a better idea to pay a professional to apply the tint if you desire a professional-looking appearance. Here are some things to look for in a tinter:

Few tips to look for in a tinter (by AUTOtint@aol.com)

Look at his fingernails.... seriously. If he has dirt under his nails, when his hands get wet, the dirt will flake out and get on the film causing small dots of dust in the window film once it's on.
Clean clothes? Look for things like cat hair or excessive amounts of dirt... things that get in the film.
Long hair? Long hair falls out more so than short hair (it's older, therefore more likely to shed.) If it falls out.. it may get in the film and not be seen until it's to late.
Ask to see what tools he has. Tinters should have very specialized tools for doing things like removing door panels and 90 degree screwdrives to take out rear speakers without touching the rear window.
Is the shop clean?
IS THE SHOP ENCLOSED?!?!? with NO air circulation? (yes would be the right answer.. still air is very important to controlling dust)
Will the rear window be done in ONE (ONE!!!) piece of film?
Will he guarantee his quality of workmanship?? Not just the film warranty.
How big of a gap will he leave at the top edge of the roll down windows. (answer should be about 1/16th of an inch.. anymore is useless as well as ugly.)
And lastly, get him/her to GUARANTEE that the defroster grid will work exactly the same as it did when he got the car.

If you still want to attempt window tinting yourself, check out:
Window Tinting for Beginners, an excellent step-by-step tutorial on how to achieve professional results tinting windows yourself (written by Sung Min Chuck Lee).