Published on 12, July, 2020
I don't know whether it's because I'm not a pure autistic person, I also have severe mental illness, but I find it hard to fit in here. Others here seem to have no difficulty bonding with each other, and chatting like they've known each other for many years. That's a great social skill to have., but one I don't have. For want of a better phrase I'd say other posters here are 'socially adept' in a way I'll never be. They lead far more high powered lives.
They have/have had good careers . Have good academic qualifications. I never had a paid job, and only did a bit of voluntary work. My academic qualifications stopped at 6 O levels. I've never pursued further education due to bullying related trauma. I have to have a lot of practical support because of poor adaptive functioning ability.
I often feel I don't fit in here either, my interests aren't the same as many others and often it feels more like a problem page than a social one, I don't feel bonded with anyone here.
I'm often amazed at the careers of others here too, things that I couldn't dream of doing, I did a degree, but luckily it involved no maths or tech or I wouldn't of been able to do it, I was able to do it because I was a mature student and the entry qualifications are or were different.
I'm sure thre are things you can do that I can't and that others would struggle with. Don't beat yourself up for the things you've not done, thats allowing the opinion of others to dictate your value in the world. Theres still time for you to do things that you want to do, I've been sacked from every job I've ever had, thats why I was self employed for so long. I think others are right in saying that a lot of it's luck and just finding the right thing at the right time, many people just seem to fall into jobs and careers, I don't know how.
I'm 67, and probably on the downhill slide cognitively( normal aged related, not dementia) compared to where I was at my peak. Even if I got past the bullying related trauma my marked executive functioning deficits would wreck any chance of getting a degree. In an ideal world I'd like to have done PPE, and been a Labour MP. I use X to express my political opinions. Pragmatic socialist as opposed to Tory enabling, Corbynite, pseudo-socialist.