Which is harder - adult life, or teenage life?

[MrTomnus]

In three weeks I'll be doing my A level exams. With them coming up and looking at the amount of work to do, it got me thinking - is being a teenager harder than being an adult?

 

Starting from the 6th of June, I'll be sitting 11 exams, 7 of which are maths. I have two physics exams and two biology exams too - for the latter, I'm expected to know everything I've learnt for the last two years in the subject for a super long question at the end of the paper.

 

These 11 exams are going to determine whether i get into university or not. To go to Southampton to study Aerospace engineering I need an A* (A+ I suppose, for you Americans ) in Physics and two As in the other subjects. If I don't get in, my insurance choice is at Leicester, where I'll study computer science. And I don't think I will. I need two Bs and a C to go there.

 

During this time I've been studying I have a weekend job at a supermarket as a checkout assistant. I work 7 hours over the weekend and try to pick up other shifts where I can, to save as much money for university. 

 

Basically this is all my life is at the moment. And it's all it has been for the past 7 years. In the end I know it's worth it - to study hard now and do well, then get my life back - but after that I'm back to another four years of education. Having to only focus on one subject is what I'm looking forward to the most, and while biology is interesting, the exams are a load of crap. You don't get a single mark if you don't include the right buzzword. Don't want to blow my own trumpet, but I consider myself an intelligent person - I can understand people well and I'm quick to learn new things. But I can never get good marks in the exam because I don't "think" the way the exam board wants me to. 

 

Having to conform to the way somebody else wants you to is what I hate about teenage life. I'm stuck having to go to school (I do really enjoy learning, but it is this that makes me hate school), I can't do the things I want to yet, and I can't spend my money on very much. In fact I haven't got new clothes for the last year almost. That was how badly I wanted to build my PC. Don't get me wrong, I am appreciative of what I have. I appreciate everything my parents do for me, and I know they're not made of money. I'm glad I have a home, my own room, and people who care about me.

 

But this is why I think adult life will be a lot easier. After a few years of trying to earn money, I will be completely able to control what I do with my life. I can pick any career I like (obviously as long as I'm accepted), I can have a house of my own. When I get the money, I can finally build a man cave of my own, perhaps even build my own house one day, and hopefully have a girlfriend who appreciates technology as much as I do. I just wish I could skip 10/20 years of my life to get to that point.

 

I'm not avoiding the issues this brings either. I understand having to depend on yourself for food and having to pay bills can be a real danger. I suppose it's not quite the same, but right now I'm paying for my own Netflix subscription, phone contract and contact lens subscription. Things could go completely wrong, and that is scary. It will take a long time to save up for the things I want, but that will make me appreciate them so much more.

 

I guess I made this post because I heard a guy in his early 30s complaining about how hard working life is (as an adult), and how teenagers going to school "don't know what's coming". They worked in a fast food restaurant, and on the side, make YouTube videos (which is now their main job), and have a substantial subscriber base too. I'll leave this person unnamed. It just got me kind of angry and I thought "do you really know how hard it is?"

 

Is what this person is saying true? Can anybody empathise with either situation?

 

TL;DR Is having to make a living on my own going to be as hard as being in higher education, as well as having a part time job?

[Rorgash]

adult, hands down adult, atleast aslong as you have a family to support you as a kid.

[Createinator]

Yep if you want to go far in life ~ the only path is "striving"!

[Anthony10]

Subjective and depends on circumstances, some teenagers might have harder lives than adults and vice versa.

[Jobbe03]

Hmmm, it all depends to be honest, if you get a good job while not having anyone to provide for, It's waaay easier. If you have a family, It's way harder. 

[CatCloud]

hmm idunno, they have there own slices of issues and anoyingness.
i say they are equal but different at the same time.

[hawthorne]

There is a high responsibility to perform academically as well a socially as a teenage, however I am not a adult so wouldn't know. 

[T.Vengeance]

I guess I made this post because I heard a guy in his early 30s complaining about how hard working life is (as an adult), and how teenagers going to school "don't know what's coming". They worked in a fast food restaurant, and on the side, make YouTube videos (which is now their main job), and have a substantial subscriber base too. I'll leave this person unnamed. It just got me kind of angry and I thought "do you really know how hard it is?"

 

Well you gotta take it into perspective. You're comparing your shitty teenage life to a pretty good 30s life. How about the opposite? A rich private school teenager who never had to lift a single finger compared to a minimum wage 30 year old.

[Mkfish]

Adult life is pretty much 90% sacrifice and 90% compromise.. wait?

If you earn lots of money then life will be like what Disney said it would be like, but only if you do.
 

Otherwise without money you will most likely be bitter and jaded by the time you are 30 also.

[werto165]

7 Maths exams!? I'm doing 3. But I think im going to die on the 9th ive got 5 hrs of exams. 

[Volbet]

Depends on a lot. While I will say my day-to-day life is a lot harder now then it was when I was a teenager, the free time that I have, is way better spend. As a teenager you don't always have a multiple of choices when it comes to spare time activities, vacations etc. 

As an adult, you have this choice. This really is the great benefit of being an adult.

It should also be said that I spend my teenage years slacking off, and now I have to go to school and have a full time job. 

 

You also have to consider what teenager you compare to what adult. Compared to mineworkes in South America, I had a pretty relaxed teenage life. While a teenager in a Liberia probably have a much thougher life than I'll ever have. 

[aidenrelkoff]

depends on the scenario 

[brownninja97]

The background depends, people that work damn hard as a teen normally dont need to work too hard as an adult.

[Izaya Orihara]

Well I never learned for school yet I was on an elite school and passed my Abitur with an average of 1.3 (A to A -)

 

Now I have to learn to get my A's.

[MrTomnus]

adult, hands down adult, atleast aslong as you have a family to support you as a kid.

Do you say that simply due to the fact you have to provide for yourself as an adult?

 

Subjective and depends on circumstances, some teenagers might have harder lives than adults and vice versa.

That's true. I've been lucky enough to have both parents who are still married and I've had a decent education. It just seems I've recently realised how much I want control over what I do. Kinda the reason why I made the switch to PC!

 

Hmmm, it all depends to be honest, if you get a good job while not having anyone to provide for, It's waaay easier. If you have a family, It's way harder. 

Yeah, I'm not planning to have a family until I'm financially stable or around 30, whichever comes first.

 

Well you gotta take it into perspective. You're comparing your shitty teenage life to a pretty good 30s life. How about the opposite? A rich private school teenager who never had to life a single finger compared to a minimum wage 30 year old.

Yeah, perspective changes things. I don't think my life is bad, I just wish it was something more. Which sounds arrogant, but everyone has a goal of their own, right?

 

7 Maths exams!? I'm doing 3. But I think im going to die on the 9th ive got 5 hrs of exams. 

I know, it sucks! I'm doing Further Maths as well, so in total I'm doing Core 3 and 4, Mechanics 1 and 2, Stats 1, Further Pure 1 and  Decisional 1... Ugh

 

 

Depends on a lot. While I will say my day-to-day life is a lot harder now then it was when I was a teenager, the free time that I have, is way better spend. As a teenager you don't always have a multiple of choices when it comes to spare time activities, vacations etc. 

As an adult, you have this choice. This really is the great benefit of being an adult.

That exactly what I mean. I even want to do something as simple as just going for a walk in the forest outside my house at night to unwind, and maybe look at the stars, but if I left the house to do that my um and dad would think I'm going crazy. If I were an adult, nobody would ask any questions - I could just walk out the door and go anywhere.

[werto165]

I know, it sucks! I'm doing Further Maths as well, so in total I'm doing Core 3 and 4, Mechanics 1 and 2, Stats 1, Further Pure 1 and  Decisional 1... Ugh

I've already done mechanics 1 did you not do it last year? Decision maths is easy, from what I've seen its easier computing. What board are you doing for physics? im doing OCR

[BrandedUpontheGrave]

Neither age's don't carry difficulty, situations do.

[Rorgash]

simply provide for yourself? as a kid or while going to school if you got a family to support you you are free to do fun things, and while school can be boring, most of the time the days are short and easy compared to most any kind of actual job, and its not always easy to provide for yourself either depending on which country one is in.

[MrTomnus]

I've already done mechanics 1 did you not do it last year? Decision maths is easy, from what I've seen its easier computing. What board are you doing for physics? im doing OCR

I did do it last year, but I have to retake it to get a good chance of getting an A* in maths... Decision is pretty easy and it's quite boring too I'm with AQA for Physics, as well as Biology.

 

simply provide for yourself? as a kid or while going to school if you got a family to support you you are free to do fun things, and while school can be boring, most of the time the days are short and easy compared to most any kind of actual job, and its not always easy to provide for yourself either depending on which country one is in.

What if you were doing a job you loved? If I could get a job in Formula 1 designing aeroparts there would never be a boring day. Plus the pay is pretty good. I suppose it takes time to get to that stage though.

[ViruZ_HUN]

I think teenage life is kinda hard, I am inside it right now.. All damn schoolwork...

[toms94z71]

Adult life hands down for me. High school was easy for me for the most part. You don't get summer long breaks in adult life, if you end up with a half way decent job you might get luck and get a week  or 2 of paid vacation. I got 2 kids too that depend on me, and my only family that lives near me now is my dad, my mom died 2 and half yrs ago, I got divorced about 5 yrs ago so I am really pretty much completely dependent on myself. Not to mention all the cleaning, yard care if you have a house and everything else is on you to do. I am sure there are some people that had it worse as a teenager but I am pretty sure the vast majority would say it was easier as a teenager than an adult.  

[Stefky]

Both are tough. It's the time between, your twenties, where you get to have all the fun - so don't waste those years.

[Ramzez]

To be honest, I wouldn't skip a day from my youth. There are days that are hard and frustrating. Then there are days that are fun and memorable. Life isn't always easy and fun and it shouldn't be. You probably have seen and heard rich people's children who have killed themselves with drug overdose or something similar. They had everything, yet they didn't enjoy their life. That's because life isn't supposed to be easy. If it was, you would be bored to death. Nothing would mean anything to you. When you are working hard to achieve those dreams you have and finally get the point where you wanted to get, it's so much more rewarding. But you should avoid living in the future and/or in your dreams. If you do, nothing ends up being enough and one day you realize that you are old and you wasted most of your life trying to achieve something that doesn't really exist. So work hard for your dreams but remember to live your life in the process. As far as anyone knows, we have only one life so don't waste it!

[MrTomnus]

Adult life hands down for me. High school was easy for me for the most part. You don't get summer long breaks in adult life, if you end up with a half way decent job you might get luck and get a week  or 2 of paid vacation. I got 2 kids too that depend on me, and my only family that lives near me now is my dad, my mom died 2 and half yrs ago, I got divorced about 5 yrs ago so I am really pretty much completely dependent on myself. Not to mention all the cleaning, yard care if you have a house and everything else is on you to do. I am sure there are some people that had it worse as a teenager but I am pretty sure the vast majority would say it was easier as a teenager than an adult.  

Only having a short time in the evening to do things wouldn't be fun, I guess. But I suppose as I said earlier if I have a career I actually enjoy and can contribute something then that doesn't become as much of a problem.

 

To be honest, I wouldn't skip a day from my youth. There are days that are hard and frustrating. Then there are days that are fun and memorable. Life isn't always easy and fun and it shouldn't be. You probably have seen and heard rich people's children who have killed themselves with drug overdose or something similar. They had everything, yet they didn't enjoy their life. That's because life isn't supposed to be easy. If it was, you would be bored to death. Nothing would mean anything to you. When you are working hard to achieve those dreams you have and finally get the point where you wanted to get, it's so much more rewarding. But you should avoid living in the future and/or in your dreams. If you do, nothing ends up being enough and one day you realize that you are old and you wasted most of your life trying to achieve something that doesn't really exist. So work hard for your dreams but remember to live your life in the process. As far as anyone knows, we have only one life so don't waste it!

Yep, I need to make sure I make the most of what I have right now and enjoy as much as I can Thank you, this made me feel better

[Ramzez]

 

 

Yep, I need to make sure I make the most of what I have right now and enjoy as much as I can Thank you, this made me feel better

 

Everybody has difficult times in their lives. Including me. The way you handle those days are what matters. Young people have their own problems and challenges but so do adults. It's only different kind of problems and challenges. When you get older you start to realize that. Being an adult might seem like an awesome thing but it's not anything special really.

 

I'm currently studying at university and I can confirm that there are days when I feel really tired and frustrated but it's part of being a student. You don't have much money and when other people are on holidays, you work through the summer. During winter time you study like hell. That's at least what I have done. But it's worth it. You are not alone. There are other people like you. The secret is not to focus on the negative things and enjoy the positive aspects of youth and being a student. According to your story, you have a good life and even better future ahead of you. I wouldn't feel sad if I were you.