Do you think autism and other neurological illnesses basically mean "game over"?

[Cupronickel]

And by "game over", I mean that it's going to be very difficult or even impossible for a person with one to succeed in life (go to college, get a good job, get married, have children, etc.). I'm a sperg myself and personally my outlook is very bleak. I used to be able to get by in life just by sheer academic talent, but I ended up hitting a wall sometime around 9th grade or so. After that, I think something happened and I just got a lot dumber. Ever since then things have been oddly difficult and I find myself falling behind my peers more and more each day. Obviously some spergs have succeeded, but that's mainly because they were extremely gifted (IQ 145+) and could just make up for their shortcomings with brains. For 99% of people who are fucked in the head (including me), I just don't think that's going to happen. I really hope I don't end up like classic-era Chris with his monthly tugboat and all that, but it seems like an actual possibility at this point. I don't really know though. What do you guys think?

 

[Ingmar Aspergman]

It’s not impossible but I do dread knowing I will always be a little “off”, and to minimize that schism between my overall affect and how others see me has been and always will be extremely exhausting for the rest of my life.

 

[Cheerlead-in-Chief]

No.
Look at some successful people with autism such as Temple Grandin and allegedly Mozart and Albert Einstein
Advice: less focus on Tard Bux/Comparing yourself to Chris-Chan and focus more on the things autists are good at.
Like music or coding.

 

[Eydallur]

Your particular neurological conditions are ultimately going to have less of an impact on your ability to succeed in life than those of your parents.

Now with that out of the way, going to college and getting a job isn't the recipe for success you've been made to believe. The primary benefit of college isn't the credentials per se but the connections you make. You're holed up in an institution for several years with all kinds of highly ambitious people surrounding you, if you're not able to effectively network and translate that into success you've missed out entirely.

Anyway, if you actually want some actionable advice, stop watching anime.

 

[Drkinferno72]

Just be attractive bro

 

[Rome's rightful successor]

Hi, I'm a autist in a similar situation like you. I'm not a particularly smart person and already had some failures in life. I fucked up in school to. My advice is to not be to hard on yourself, failures do happen but new oppertunities does land infront of us. Ultimately we shouldn't keep our shortcomings putting ourselves down. Just find a well paying community job or a cdl driving job. It's ok not being the greatest human being ever. Just enjoy life, go with the flow, and be active. Don't panic, find love, it will eventually happen.

 

[Skitarii]

Like music or coding.

Get addicted to drugs and die an early age or become a wage slave for the rest of your life.... not super promising.

OP, white collar crime isn't out of the question, spec all your points into law school or accounting and make bank off of other people's misfortune

 

[Kari Kamiya]

I'm a sperg myself and personally my outlook is very bleak. I used to be able to get by in life just by sheer academic talent, but I ended up hitting a wall sometime around 9th grade or so. After that, I think something happened and I just got a lot dumber. Ever since then things have been oddly difficult and I find myself falling behind my peers more and more each day.

Yoooooo are you my doppelgänger from a parallel universe who just mirrored everything I was doing?

Well, least in my case, I ran into that academic wall in high school probably because things got much more abstract than my mind could handle at times, but also because socially, I stumbled more. I had to practically find myself and find out what it was I really liked doing and wanted to do and just steer my way into that direction, albeit with help from my parents and some (reluctant, in hindsight) teachers. Maybe there's some kind of hurdle once an autist hits puberty/their teenage years that if they're not mentally prepared for it, they just freeze up, 'cause it felt like that. Going to college to do what I wanted helped me get around that, but that might've been the hands-on experience I got, and just being around other likeminded peers.

There's something weird about high school anyway that can make-or-break it for you, and while my social experience wasn't terrible and I had more luck in certain classes than others, I was able to get through it and regain my footing in college. If college isn't right for you, hopefully you're able to still get yourself some work where you know you're comfortable in since, at the very least, there's a routine to work. Have to learn to rewire your brain a bit as a result, but you keep at it, things'll get easier.

As for worrying about not being able to find your place in more adult things like romance, best way to go about it is to not fret over it. Things will fall into place in due time if it's something you desire in life. Baby steps.

 

[I (Don't) Have A Gun]

Just be attractive bro

I'd say being rich is more useful.

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

My life ended in my early teens

 

[The Cunting Death]

I hate having to explain this all the time but whatever:

I'm also an autist, extremely high functioning to the point virtually every person I've met didn't know I was an autist until I explicitly point it out to them.

Your problem seems to be more a lack of motivation than anything.
Do you have that weird autistic fascination for something like most autists do? use that and bend it towards what you're building your career towards. use that energy towards your academic career. This will get you really far in life.

 

[The Great Chandler]

Getting a low level food service work is one step from avoiding the CWC life

 

[DumbDude42]

in times past, inconsequential shit like social awkwardness and minor autistic tendencies could easily be made up for by productive traits such as conscientousness, orderliness, reliability, trustworthiness, etc.

but in the oversocialized society of current year, where basically nothing matters except superficial social skills, it's kind of a death sentence. you basically need to be a top 1% genius, absolute cream of the crop in your field, to make up for it, and even then you probably won't fully catch up to the normies.

 

[IAmNotAlpharius]

No, just find your niche and play to your strengths. So if you’re autistic and you’re really good at picking up detail, you could be a home inspector*, quality assurance, etc. If you’re inclined towards working with your hands pick up a trade like electrician, plumbing, etc. If you love technology, get into computer science.

*I haven’t looked much into it myself because I’m happy with what I do, but I spoke to an older guy who was a bit on the spectrum that seemed to enjoy it.

 

[The Cunting Death]

No, just find your niche and play to your strengths. So if you’re autistic and you’re really good at picking up detail, you could be a home inspector, quality assurance, etc.

This exactly.

 

[malapropism]

i went to public school and have a bachelor's despite being told that I should of sought out alternative paths.

The real killers are dating and hiring, and for the latter definitely try to lean in on your disability even if it feels wrong, especially if white or asian. But this doesn't make the evils of HR any less damaging and increasingly image obsessed in a linkedin world.
For dating there's tombs of awful advice, I say don't let your physical appearance suffer any more (try to eat well, exercise, obsession with either will result in image problems) Oh and don't compromise your hobbies, lots of aspies try to hide power-level to find a mate but end up seeming bland and underdeveloped compared to those who live by their interests.

 

[BBJ_4_Ever]

You haven't mentioned whether you actually have ever had an attraction towards a particular course of study or type of work or any hobbies. That would be the beginning, then there are usually subsets in every field where you can apply you strengths.

 

[Cheerlead-in-Chief]

I'd say being rich is more useful.

OP, avoid Multi Level Management companies like Primerica. They're soul-crushing and bad mentally; they also discourage any hobbies that don't benefit them.

 

[IrishGuy088]

I was born before they started calling people autistic. I was just a nerd.

Thank god I wasn't born later and subjected to an upbringing that told me I was broken and an environment that fed into that bullshit. If you're not a retard, you're not autistic. Just quit being a weirdo around people and adjust your behavior to be more normal. You can still be a dork and do dorky things with dorky people but there's a time and a place.

 

[Red Hood]

It depends on the type of autism, and also what they're fixated on.

To quote another disability sufferer that turned it into a career:

Everybody stutters one way or the other,
So check out my message to you.
As a matter of fact, I don't let nothing hold you back.,
If the Scatman can do it, then so can you.
- I'm the Scatman.