Skip to main content

Why Being 17 is Definitely Not the Greatest.

In 8 days (I have indeed been counting), I'm going to be turning 17. But, should I be that excited?

Firstly, when you turn 17, your freedom is still very much restricted. On the day 17 years after the day you were born, you are suddenly allowed to... Drive. And that's it. There isn't really anything else you are allowed to do on your 17th Birthday that you couldn't have done the day before it. And, obviously, the chances of you being so talented that you pass your test on the same day you first drive a car are pretty slim, so no going and picking up your friends to wizz them away to a place you've never previously been allowed to go to to celebrate.

Also, how do you celebrate your 17th?
Clubs? No.
Pubs? No.
Silent disco at the top of the Shard? No, not even that.
There is literally nothing to do. I'm meeting up with some friends next Saturday to celebrate being one year nearer to being 18 but I'm still completely clueless of what to do when I see them.

Furthermore, most of us spend being 17 in amongst a mountain of essays, textbooks and exams. When you're 16, many of us get an eleven week holiday after finishing our GCSEs.
When you're 18, many of us get a thirteen week holiday between finishing our A Levels and starting university.
When you're 17, many of us get... A six week 'break', consisting of hours and hours of holiday homework. What's not to like?

In addition, the minimum wage doesn't increase when you turn 17. Yup, we're still expected to get along just fine on £3.78 an hour, which can't even buy you a meal deal at M&S. Guess we're going to have to embrace the hunger when it comes to our lunch breaks...

So, there you have it: reasons why being 17 is the worst of them all.
Have fun!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Work experience at the Press Association

After being accepted for a work placement back in November, on Monday 25th June the time had finally arrived to get the train to Victoria for the start of my placement at Press Association. I was to work in the Features department, which covers everything from food to health to travel. I arrived early for my placement on the first day, where I met Ella Walker, the Acting Features Editor. After a quick tour of the office, I immediately got started on the first commission of my placement, an article for BT Lifestyle on fears of dog flu becoming a pandemic, with a deadline set for before lunchtime. I used multiple sources to research and verify the medical information behind dog flu, and gave the topic context by giving a brief summary of the impact of swine flu. As I researched using specialist websites, I took extra care to make sure that I explained the disease in a clear yet informative way. Once the article was submitted, I headed off to lunch and found the Cardinal Place rooftop ...

Is this real life- or is this just fantasy?

Admittedly, I have never considered myself a fantasy type of person. Except for my slight obsession with Harry Potter, little of the literature I read, the films I watch and the TV series I follow falls under the fantasy genre.   Until recently, that is.   One month ago, I finally got round to watching 'The Lord of the Rings'. It took fifteen years after the first movie came out for me even to consider watching it. It's long. It's got elves in it. Why would I want to watch it?  Now, I know that there are many reasons why I would want to watch it. Full to the brim with action, the scenery is breathtaking, the antagonists are perfectly abhorrent and Orlando Bloom makes one lovable elf. Frankly, it's got everything I could wish for in a movie- with the addition of Gollum and a couple-thousand Orcs. I liked the first movie so much that, within the week, I'd watched all 10 hours of the trilogy. 'Two Towers' is now in my top 10 all-time favourite films. ...

This Could Be the Start of Something New...

Yes, that is a reference to High School Musical and, yes, I am still referencing High School Musical eight years after it came out... But, like Troy met Gabriella, I have just met someone knew: you! So, to introduce myself... Firstly, my name is Florrie. Yep, just Florrie; not Florence, not Florian (I have been called that before), just Florrie. A few weeks ago, dismayed at the fact I'd still never met someone else called Florrie, I googled the history of the name. And, what did I learn? I learnt that the name 'Florrie' peaked in popularity in the 1890s. My name is ancient. Moving on from my name, I should probably talk about my likes to prepare you for what is to come on this blog. My likes include... Dogs Since a very young age, I havebeen a huge admirer of the canine-kind. Whether they're tall or small, curly or straight, the odds of me wanting to take home a dog are pretty high (with the exception of the dogs that take a disliking to my dog, obviously). Four...