Not Sure How To Celebrate Finishing School

MrSammyMcG on 20/11/2015 - 16:39
Last edited 20/11/2015 - 16:40

Okay so today (a few hours ago) at the time of writing I just graduated School and finished Year 12. I haven't had a proper holiday in all of my life and never did anything meaningful at all during either schooling periods. I'm not trying to sound like a downer, but since most or at least a decent few of you here are in your early 30s or so I'm guessing that you've finished School and did something after and I was looking for advice and do/ don'ts.

Basically, I'm not going to Schoolies (as it starts tomorrow and I don't have the money), its also not really my thing and I don't have a set group of friends I'd like to travel with nor do I in any way have the money. I originally planned to do something with my 26 year old brother who had just come back from living in England for 4 years and was really looking forward to that, but due to some complications he had to leave and won't be back until sometime next year at the earliest. He also missed my graduation, which was a disappointment. He is however coming back for 4 weeks on 2 December to visit my grandparents in Mackay for 2 and I don't think he'll have enough time to do something with me in the other two as be has things to attend to.

I did want to do something small with some of my friends like hang out for a few weeks together but everyone I've asked has so far told me either they want to chill alone or they have something organised with other people and they can't let me in on it (due to bookings, location etc)

I don't mean to be sound like a baby but I'm actually quite upset about this and so far things like graduation and the formal later tonight (I don't have a partner so I'm going alone and don't have a nice car either) haven't exactly panned out well so I was really hoping that I could make up for it by doing something fun over my break. Right now I have absolutely nothing planned so any suggestions would be uplifting.

On a side note, I was also wondering how many of you actually remember/ care about your graduation period and what did you do well and enjoy/ how did you do it, and what would you suggest not doing.

If this is in the wrong section please don't eat me, I'm new here so just give me a heads up. My assumption was this fits somewhere between education and work.

Education & Work

Comments

  • goosegog on 20/11/2015 - 16:54
    +1

    Left education - got a job - built a future - bought property - paid off all debts at an early age - now while still youngish, enjoying a debt free life with lots of holidays. Forward planning is the answer, don't splurge now, your youth goes quickly, but the rest of your life doesn't.

    • cypher67 on 20/11/2015 - 17:21
      +7

      I did the same, however I regret it. I wish I had travelled when I was young, wish I'd played the silly bugger and enjoyed my youth. Instead I did Uni, worked non stop and now have a wife and kids. All I have to look forward to is when the kids leave home and I can start my travels but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be as amazing as when I was 18. If I had my time again, id have spent 2-3 years living out of a backpack working in random pubs spreading my love and then start the route I am currently on. Id be 3 years behind where I am now, but Id have no regrets about what I could have done with my youth.

      • noyesmaybeok on 20/11/2015 - 17:46
        +1

        More than 3 years - that compounding interest! Point taken though :)

        Can't get caught up in the what if's, you don't know what would have happened. Travelling with $0 realistically is depressing, you often end up stuck for months in some city having to work to save enough to go to a new destination. Very few 17-18 yr olds have the money to spend years travelling having fun. Pretty much anyone I've seen who did it cheap also did very little or free activities like hiking. There's little clubbing, jet skiing, sky diving etc.

        Travelling when your older means your activities are a bit more limited, however you have tons more cash to enjoy it and do all the activities you want. Air-conditioned sight seeing bus instead of hiking around all day in 35 degree weather. Flying proper airlines and leaving at nice times, rather than doing weird stopovers and travelling at 2am. Doing every single attraction you want, rather than only being able to do 1 or 2.

        Benefits to both.

        • mskeggs on 20/11/2015 - 17:51
          +3

          I've done both and would take poverty and youth every time over comparative wealth and middle age.

      • inherentchoice on 20/11/2015 - 17:49

        Grass is always greener on the other side eh?

        • cypher67 on 20/11/2015 - 19:34

          Well the way I see it, I could have done both if I spent some time having a little fun first. You have the rest of your life to settle down and build a life for yourself, your youth has a time limit.

    • noyesmaybeok on 20/11/2015 - 18:01

      What's youngish?

      Forward planning is the answer

      Hmm, even mid twenties I'm seeing enough people dying although I'm going for the 'end game', I'm very mindful not to sacrifice too much in the present for a future that possibly will never come.

  • airzone on 20/11/2015 - 17:17
    +6

    I went out and got pissed. Then played video games for a few months before starting uni.

    • mskeggs on 20/11/2015 - 17:43
      +1

      Pretty much me too, although I had some part time work.
      I went to schoolies in QLD, had fun. Went down the coast with some other friends, had fun.
      We didn't have a lot of money. Some weekends away were sleep in the car, drink goon or cheap beer, go to the beach, but we didn't need much to have a good time.
      Glad I did, on more mature reflection. I could be a hell of a lot richer today if I had prioritised work and saving, but I can't be 17 again no matter how much money I had.

  • noyesmaybeok on 20/11/2015 - 17:33
    +4

    things haven't exactly panned out

    Welcome to adulthood!

    don't have a nice car either

    Not many 16/17/18 year olds with their dream cars.

    Not to sound like a downer myself, you need to lower expectations. Everyone thought they'd have their dream car, house, partner etc by 25. The reality is nowhere near it for the vast majority really.

  • mskeggs on 20/11/2015 - 17:49
    +2

    OP, call your brother a tell him you two are doing a road trip to get to the grandparents in Mackay and he is renting a car.
    Go to this page:
    http://www.imoova.com/imoova/relocations

    And figure out whether you can get a free car/camper heading up to Airlie or Mackay, or back the other way down to Brissy (or Cairns/Sydney?).
    You will need to pay for fuel, and either combine the return journey the same way, or look on the front page here for the Tiger sale or work out a train/bus ticket.

    This will give you some excellent one-on-one time with your brother, an adventure to remember, and will cost hardly anything. Do it.

  • [Deactivated] on 20/11/2015 - 19:04
    +1

    Who cares about the car - at that age it's a symbol of independence and driving a Merc says I'm old enough to drive but not old enough to stop sponging off my daddy. My first car was under $3k and I had a lot more fun driving that than my other cars that have cost 10-20x that amount

    I didn't have any money at your age so I video gamed it and hung out with friends until Uni started. If I were in your shoes I'd get a part time job and save up for an overseas holiday down the track - going to a totally different country opens your eyes more than a trip to the Gold Coast ever will. Or maybe do the overseas English language teaching assistant thing. I never went overseas until after I started working FT which is something I really regret, because now it's a miracle if I can get three weeks off work. Not doing anything for high school grad doesn't rate on my regrets list at all!

  • MelBourne on 21/11/2015 - 12:24
    +1

    Im in my mid twenties, so I still remember your scenario.

    I should admit that you are right to feel like you want to do something special for this time; I agree, you should really do some activity to mark this point in your life. And don't put limits on your imagination… You can do literally anything that marks this moment in your life… It doesn't have to be a drunken binge with a bunch of douchebags.

    I know money is a problem but maybe you could do the beg/borrow/steal to get to a fun Schoolies location just to get there? Once you're there, get drunk and go wild for a day or two and say that you partied hard.

    Otherwise, I would recommend a road trip/camping trip of some kind. Or fly to somewhere new.

    I dont like the fact that we don't have a 'coming of age ritual' in Australia. It's all about getting absolutely smashed at your 18th and 21st birthdays… which is pathetic.

    I think a road trip through Australia with a bit of bush survival and rough living would be better. Either that.. or some sort of respectful ritual where your whole family and friends recognize that you are now an Adult, with responsibilities. (Such as the Bar mitzvah that Jews do).

    So to wrap it up… I as an average, mid twenties dude, do not remember what I did around that schoolies period, and none of my friends really mention the parties that were had for schoolies either. However, At the time of schoolies and ending Year 12, it was the topic of every discussion! Everyone was making grand plans and I felt a bit left out because I didnt have the money to go to the Gold Coast or whatever. I think I ended up having a few small but awesome parties here in Melbourne with my mates. Then I became a stoner for about a month straight….

    I finally snapped out of the holiday mode about 6 months after high school and have completely forgotten about it all! I went to Uni for a bit, and now I'm working in a great job now, but definitely wish I had just splurged all my money on overseas travels as early as possible.

    Hope that helps somehow….

  • PTSD on 26/11/2015 - 14:13
    +1

    It's a shame that you were too late to get involved in your mates' plans. What have you suggested doing with your other mates who want to "chill alone"? You could even just celebrate with a day trip to the beach or something. It doesn't have to be something "epic", just a marking of the occasion.

    Ultimately don't stress too much about it. It's true that's it's the biggest thing that's happened to you so far. But honestly, when you're older the milestone of highschool graduation will seem incredibly minor, and I promise it won't seem like a big deal if you end up not doing anything.

    What are your plans from here? Are you going to uni? Looking for work? You could divert your energies to planning ahead instead.

    • MrSammyMcG on 26/11/2015 - 14:20

      That was a really concise response thanks. I don't really know what my friends are doing, I've asked a few of them and haven't really gotten a response so I'm not too sure exactly. I was planning to hang out with one of them next week for a day or so but I doubt much else will happen after that. I would normally start planning ahead (that's usually how I roll in things) but I'm still really not sure about a lot so its hard to do. Well, that and I just really want a break at the moment.

      • PTSD on 26/11/2015 - 14:26

        Fair enough. I take it then that you haven't applied to any uni's or work just yet? This would mean that uni is out for at least six months if not one year. Either working, travelling, or a combination of the both for the year will be important. Don't just lounge around the house; even working at Coles will mean interacting with people and gaining valuable skills that you won't appreciate just yet, but you will in the future. Staying active during your time off is the most important thing; the longer you wait to do something the harder it will be to actually start.

        Regarding doing stuff with mates; instead of asking them what to do, you should offer them something to do. If your parents are okay with it, you could host a casual dinner and games night at your place. Alternatively, camping is a great option that's cheap and cheerful, and gets you away from the parents.

        • MrSammyMcG on 26/11/2015 - 15:39

          Actually, offering them something is a great idea. I'm not going to Uni just yet as I'm not really sure what I want to do and what course and I don't want such a large Hex debt so I'd like to have a bit of money to put towards that. I had/ have a part time job just around the corner from where I live but I've since stopped getting hours presumably as I cost more to employ than the other junior staff who are given the same responsibilities. My boss made it pretty clear that I wasn't the cheapest person to employ when I got the job, so km probably going to have to look elsewhere.

          I think I will look into hosting a games night or something, I just don't think I have many 4 player splitscreen games and a lot of people tend to not enjoy waiting. :)

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