Is There Any Hope Of Independence For Me?

Yes, but to a limited extent.

Assuming Alpha  could be profitable, could you partner with, or pay someone, to take care of the stuff you are not interested in?

Hmm.

The thing I'm interested in, and good at (let's call it Alpha), is something that can be divorced from any materially productive act and be done without any evidence of you having done it be generated.

I have a diminished interest in people, so I indulged in Alpha in that exact way, and in solitude.

To make my skills in Alpha profitable (assuming that is even likely given the nature of Alpha), I would have to learn additional skills such as: marketing, writing, some level of social skill, etc., but I basically have the opposite of a Special Interest relation with this kind of stuff.

(The stipulations from the last reply remain.)

I like the idea of being self-employed.

When I considered a career in YT (YouTube), that was what I was seeking.

What are your thoughts on influencer-type venues of money-making?

If you don't have the formal qualifications, track record or references to demonstrate to a prospective employer that you have some ability to add value to their business, then it is hard for them to put you above others that do.

However, there are other means to demonstrate this, e.g. by doing stuff online, with written articles or creating a website that shows your work. But something will be required as else you are an unknown quantity.

Some coding jobs have coding tests as part of the interview (which is not common for other jobs) which can allow people with ability to shine, but you have to get an interview.

You may need to start somewhere and work your way up. It is possible to progress quickly in the right places and with some judicious moves.

If that is not of interest but you are still sure you are an expert, the you will have to form your own company. It means you will need something to sell, which does not need to be physical as knowledge or intellectual property are sellable, a plan to sell it and the means to reach customers, plus the ability to engage with people or to employ someone who can. You will also need to navigate some of the legal and contractual hurdles.

I don't tend to sugar coat things, so advance apologies if I appear blunt. This is however just my experience. In 2002 I got a job with a major food chain while still in school from a single letter. Since then the job market has gotten provably more complex and more difficult. In 2005 I built a web design business off of my hobby of coding in HTML and CSS. No advanced investment, nothing more than my skills and interests. In 2010, I took a small amount of money and created a theatre company.

The harsh reality I'm facing is that even starting up self employed these days there are so many more barriers to entry to both self-employment and to traditional employment. 

Please don't misunderstand I'm not saying it's impossible or that you should give up hope. What I'm saying is that our world has become exponentially more complex than it ever was even 20 years ago. 

As someone who is currently looking at starting again and building a business from scratch again after a long period of burnout my advice is that taking a special interest and looking for ways to monetise it can be a double edged sword. However, it can be really productive. I'd advise seeking out any funding measures that exist. If there are grants, apply for them. If there are courses for would-be entrepreneurs - take them. 

Self employment has always been easier for me than traditional employment, but it is a more difficult road in terms of paperwork. That's where courses and funding comes in.

There is hope, but it ought to be tempered in my opinion with the expectation that what you want won't be straightforward - but then again, what is?

For the sake of clarity: I have sufficiently introspected during this meantime such that I have a (exhaustive?) list of SI's (and even a working formal model for them, but it is a little half-baked).

Roughly:

My SI's:

a) General Science
b) Art
c) Philosophy

Anything that I become prolongedly interested in is a manifestation of one of these three; all other interests are non-principled and temporary.

This is why I experimented in trying to get a career in both medicine and CompSci in the past. These appeal to interest a, and have the additional feature of being apparently in-demand.

Would you be willing to elaborate on how you became more independent or what you mean by "independent"?

There is hope, but you may need to go through some discomfort in order to achieve it. Изгнан nailed it with:

Изгнан said:

its just doing them in small stages, not just throwing yourself into things that are overwhelming too fast

That’s key. Do things in small steps over time. Start with listing all the things you are interested in. Then think outside the box and consider how those interests could be applied to a job. I managed to find my job helping people with disabilities by realizing I have an interest in Autism, its history, and etc.

Another big thing to consider is that even if you manage to gain greater independence, there is nothing wrong with continuing to need supports. I’d say I’m pretty independent, but I still heavily rely on family and other support people to help get me through tough issues.

I'm assuming you're not attempting to contradict anything I have said in this reply, and merely offer general advise or perform some illocutionary act that you deem good under some norm.

Just for the sake of both offering greater context and generating conversation: I have a SI I've invested a lot of sustained study and practice into. In fact (and this might in part be naive ego), I think my level of skill on this field rivals the relevant experts from where I live.

Even so, my confidence (meaning credences) of getting a job, even in this area, is very low.

(I'm also not trying to contradict anything you have said. This entire reply is just some illocutionary act.)

i used to depend on family, but over time i became more independent, it took some time, but with persistence i managed to pull it off, it depends on a lot of different factors though, and your circumstances, yes there is hope for you. i think you having a high school diploma is better than nothing, at least it shows you done something, that helps. i never had anything when i left high school, i just done small courses over time and in the end it wasn't those that helped, it was just being persistent. i get what you mean about putting yourself in those situations in the first place though, i felt exactly the same way, and i also felt like i was rotting away, stuck inside, i done exactly the same thing, i know the feeling, the sensory and emotional overload was too much to bear. i bet there are loads of people that feel the same way, your almost 26, so you have loads of time to figure things out, its just doing them in small stages, not just throwing yourself into things that are overwhelming too fast. i don't like the country I'm in, so your not alone there either, give yourself time and persist, it can definitely work out in the end. 

You need to pick an area that either is, or you can make, a special interest. You will then do more and know more than other people and you will become good at it.

If you like coding, it will not that hard to become good. Then people will want to pay you.

But you will have to pick something and apply yourself a bit.

You won't get something handed to you on a plate.

Jobs are where people pay you to do something, so you need to be able to do something or demonstrate you will be able to learn how to do something.

I work in IT

What do you do for a living?

Hi Purelambdaphi, 

Thank you for posting to the community. I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with your living situation and with confidence in getting a career in a field that you are interested in. 

The NAS website has some advise and guidance on which may be useful to you: 

Seeking help with mental health: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/seeking-help

How can I find a job thats right for me: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/employment/how-can-i-find-a-job-thats-right-for-me#Exploring%20career%20options

You can also use our service directory to search for counsellors who specialise in working with who have autism: https://www.autism.org.uk/autism-services-directory

I hope this helps. 

Gina Mod

I don’t know your personal situation, but I will say that the person I am today was built layer upon layer over many years. I still have deficiencies and my life is far from ideal, but I am independent, I am capable and I have contributed to the world.

The key is to never give up and never stop growing.