If convicted of theft from your place of employment 1st offense no priors what would the sentence normally be?

This is a theft of $ 17,000 and some change.

$17,000 and some change? You're way into the realm of grant theft here. A felony embezzlement charge for that kind of money is going to involve some state time. Forget probation and forget county jail. It's just not going to happen. I don't know what state you are in, but Federal Sentencing Guidelines recommend 8 - 14 months for a first-time offense of embezzlement greater than $10,000 but less than $30,000. The judge has the discretion to give you up to 3 years for a single count. If there were multiple instances in which you took money rather than taking it all at once, then they can charge multiple counts.
This is one of those times when you are going to want to get a good lawyer.

That's quite a hefty sum. It will depend on the judge- they have a great latitude in issuing judgments .If your family is wealth and well connected , you will get probation in my state. If you are poor and have no connections to the powerful, you could get 10 years. There was a lady that got convicted of embezzlement at the bank she worked for. She stole $271,000 dollars-her husband was a successful business man and a member of the school board and the judge put her on probation. In our state, justice is not blind- It all depends on who you are, or who do you know. I live in the state of Louisiana.

What state and/or country? Thats a lot of money, so I think you will probably go to jail, get a lawyer so there is no prision and you will get a big fine from the court (criminal) as well as a civil suit (a fine) from your employement.

It will be a felony for embezzlement. I would think some weekend time, assuming you have that in your state. I would say about 180 days. If you pay it all back, you might get less.