Seeking a diagnosis in middle age

Hello everyone!

I have just joined this community after completing yet another online self-test for autism.

So far, every online test that I have taken has suggested that I am probably on the spectrum and should consult with a professional about that possibility.

But its only now that I actually feel motivated to do that.

November 30th 2020, will mark four years of unemployment for me.

That's the longest I have been out of work in my entire adult life. I am 47 years old now.

Although there are neurodivergent people who are conventionally very successful in various jobs or business enterprises, I understand that the unemployment rate for people on the spectrum is much higher than that for the general population.

I am hoping that a diagnosis may ultimately lead to a strategy which would get me back into gainful employment.

But not into another call centre!

Been there, done that, don't see myself doing it again.

Although I have developed strong technical interests in my free time over the last couple of years, any job in tech would present precisely the kind of problems which I feel ill equipped to manage.

Working as part of a team, reading social cues, taking and giving feedback in a tactful way, etc.

In my youth, I feel that I was good at "masking" my oddness. But now, in my late forties, I feel that life is too short to pretend to be someone that I am not.