So I’m a little on the younger side… I turn 18 in 2026 and have already graduated high school. What should I expect? Is it any different from being 17, especially with my experiences and being a year ahead of my other 17-year-old peers? I was in my senior year when they were juniors.
Nothing changes, except for more legal independence and liability.
Skip on smoking. It’s literally burning your money away.
Separate work from life and join a union if you can, or support them. Don’t bust yourself with hatred, fear, or concern over things that you can’t personally affect.
Financially, spare money, and prepare your own food. And … find your own joy in life.
In my country, at 18 you are not allowed to have sex with 17 year olds anymore but you could when you were 17. Yeah it’s stupid. Most people don’t care anyway :)
A change in lifestyle is bigger than a change in numerical age. If you go away to college, that’s a big change. If you get a job, that’s a big change, etc etc
Nothing to change except for a lot more legal liability / responsibility to be on you and not your parents. Also, as you have to pay for more and more of your own existence by working as much as is required you’ll find within a couple years your best “nothing to do” / “time to kill” hours are behind you. Time for hobbies and gaming and stuff will be at a premium and unless you get wealthy and / or forego having kids, it’ll just keep shrinking away. Make sure you find ways to feel fulfilled by the ways you spend the time you do have, and don’t make the serious mistake of shorting yourself on sleep. You wanna live long and well, you want to sleep more. Don’t start drinking, by the way, even when you’re 21. Isn’t remotely worth it.
Gl;hf!
Thank you!!
Don’t start drinking, by the way
☝️☝️☝️
Your life is what you mundanely do every day
No one special day defines your life
(Unless you do something stupid like just graze the ear)
Nothing changes, like others have been saying, except for legal stuff and independence. If you go to college, you can get a well-paying job and not end up like me.
What you mean by not end up like you? What’s wrong with you ?
My bad, it’s a reference to my profile picture character who has 38 jobs.
Removed by mod
This person is an adult.
Hey now, don’t be so hasty.
For most people, nothing drastic aside from college if they do start at the typical age of 18. Not that things won’t change, but change will be gradual. Depending on where you live, you may gain the privilege to vote, join the military, drink, smoke, or be tried as an adult. The former two are up to you, but the latter three make for bad habits.
If you are on good terms with your family, cherish the time you have with them. That is often the first thing to start drying up. The next decade is a good time to find out what you’d like to do, special skills you’d like to learn, the people you want to have by your side, and the things that will keep your mind and body happy.
Oh, wait, this isn’t shitty ask lemmy …
quietly backs out of the room
You just get more responsibility and are more liable for things. That’s pretty much it.
You’re not an adult yet other than the legal definition.
It’s going to take some time before you find yourself, but if you were artificially limited in pursuing that due to age restricted things (getting an apartment, signing a loan, etc.) then now you have the tools to go find yourself.
But I’d hurry, not sure how much longer the world as we know it is going to last.
This. With the benefit of hindsight, the age of being an “adult” should be in the 20s. Your brain is still developing and growing. Nurture that shit! Have fun, make friends, and don’t go crazy with the booze and drugs.
If your parents don’t suck nothing much. 18 is a very arbitrarily chosen number you will learn that when you get even older.
The only thing that changes is the number of people and institutions that hold you responsible for your actions. No more chance to be tried as a juvenile for crimes. Fewer people will say ‘ah, they’re just a kid,’ if you make a mistake. Your financial decisions are more likely to follow you. Etc. Etc. You won’t feel different, but the expectations will be there.
You’ll be assigned a war to be obsessed with for now, at 21 you’ll actually be able to do adult things, at 25 you can rent a car so that’s nice, and once you hit 30 you’ll get your issued set of New Balances. I still have to find out what’s next, I think at 38 you get a moustache but no beard.
No.
Since you have already graduated high school you won’t notice anything different about being 18.
