That 30 year old has 10 years more experience than you do and probably an education. If you want more money you should go to school, and put in a few more years. Be grateful that you were able to land an office job that is giving you the experience you need to launch your career. You may only be paid 8 dollars an hour but the experience is worth a whole lot more.

Yes. Until he sees that you are going to stay with them for a long time, and of course you get a little age, that's how it works.

Not really

Do you have another job in mind that would pay you more than $8/hr? Getting office experience at 17 years old is great. You will be able to use this experience anywhere that you work. You can't compare your earnings to those of your older co-worker, remember that person has 13 years of more work experience than you, plus you may not know the full realm of the co-workers job responsibilities. Without knowing the labor laws in your state, your wage that you receive should have nothing to do with your age. Hang in there, maybe you'll get a bonus at the end of the year.

Your company can pay their employees whatever they want no matter what age - as long as they don't violate EEOC laws. So it shouldn't be about age. In fact, if you are in the US - making a determination about compensation based on age is considered illegal. See www.eeoc.gov and read about age and wage discrimination.

Regarding what you do compared to someone who has more experience - that person may have the ability to be more productive, take on a larger load or be trained to do something specific due to their background and level of experience. People are regularly paid for their level of experience even though they may perform the same/similar duties of a more junior person.

Fair has nothing to do with it. It might not be fair, but it isn't illegal. Your option is to quit.