New Here / Autistic Adult (and question about work/study)

I'm glad to hear your parents are on board with studying and helping you plan what you want to do! :-) Completely understand with feeling super lost, to be honest I think everyone is still figuring out what they want to do. Open University is definitely worth looking into, my friend is doing a part-time degree over a few years and it allows her to explore other things too along with working. :-) It is a long journey but I'm sure you will get where you want to be eventually, just be proud of where you have got to already. :-) Always here if you want to chat!

I write a very sporadic blog and have started an autism YouTube channel, which is a lot of work and a lot of fun.

Yes! I love creative things. I've been doing a blog funnily enough since spring of last year - I used to blog when I was a teenager, so was lovely to get back into it. I'd love to try and start a YouTube one day in the future, that would be a LOT of fun!

Thank-you so much, it's really appreciated. I had a good look on there yesterday and enrolled in a free class :) I think I'm going to try open university in October, I think it's what my brain needs and I have a good idea of what I want to study.

Thank-you so much for your reply, it's been extremely helpful and honestly made me smile that you've achieved so much (and a lot of what I want to do!) It's beyond helpful having family to support you, that really does make the world of difference. I was chatting to my parents last night about the whole studying thing and my future as a whole because i've just been feeling super lost, and they're completely on board with what I want to try and do. I've decided I'll try open university to complete my degree (I dropped out at 19 because of my physical health problems) and see how I get on for a year. I get an extremely restless brain that needs using and because I haven't done anything in my 20's work/study wise I just get so nervous and unsure about what is the best next step for me (especially physical health wise). COVID really affected my mental health - as it did for everybody! But I'm glad I was able to get my autism diagnosis because of that awful period of time. It's been super helpful in understanding myself better, I just think it's gonna be a looooong journey.

There are lots of online courses you can complete, as Autonomistic has pointed out.

Away from that, focus in on your hobbies. Creativity is fantastic for autistic people, so maybe run a blog, YouTube channel, or whatever else you think suits you. These can keep you busy and provide you with control over a passion project. Very good boost for your mental health.

autismgirl said:

I have been looking at online classes, I just don't know what the best option is.

If you're not sure then a good place to start would be to do some of the many free online courses available. You can do them in your own time without pressure and try lots of different things until you find something that really interests you.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses

Hi! 

I'm female and in my 20's too :-)

I went to university and graduated in 2020, but only got through it with support from my family, wasn't diagnosed until 2021 (after a year on the waitlist). 

Worked part-time after covid lockdown, then got my first full-time job. I am quite lucky because my work are very supportive and understanding of what I struggle with, and then find ways to ensure I am doing tasks that are suited to my skillset. 

It was hard to get used to being in employment in terms of being social, meetings, small talk, but for me it's really helped me learn some key life skills. It also gave me the confidence to get out of my comfort zone and do other things, like learn to drive and get my licence, do a CBT and learn to ride motorbike, attend courses and networking evenings alone...

I know life experiences are different for everyone, and everyone has different abilities, skills, support needs, but I think employment can be really helpful for personal development. 

It can be tiring though especially with long days of meetings.... too many people!

I haven't worked throughout my 20's so far due to health problems, and my mental health has gotten worse since lockdown so any suggestions from anyone else who has been in the same boat as me are always welcome. I have been looking at online classes, I just don't know what the best option is.