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Having niche interests is hard

Jamesmac

So, I've always found it hard to connect to many people over the course of my life because I find I have no common interests with them. They always talk about what's mainstream and what everyone else is doing, but then I try to talk about stuff I'm interested in - niche, almost obscure stuff as far as the mainstream goes, and nobody really cares.

It's kinda disheartening in a way. It doesn't really help that I often find whatever's mainstream to be kinda dumb and mindless.

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  • in reply to DavidA

    Sounds nice! That is one part I love about academia and my work as a scientist- being surrounded by other people that are interested in overlapping niche interests. Though I am generally up for any topic. Sadly in my current lab I don’t fit in and noone wants to chat about science or seems to have any interest in other people’s work- this has made me quite demotivated and depressed. Until then I didn’t realise how important it was to me. People often think that because I am autistic it means I am going to be bad at talking to people etc but it really depends on the context- at conferences etc I am generally very good at connecting to people as I can just talk about science and skip all the small talk. I had one supervisor in the past that didn’t get this at all- he thought that because I struggled to eat lunch in a lound caffeteria with all the others (and make random small talk) that I would be incapable about connecting to others on a scientific level. 

  • in reply to DavidA
    DavidA said:
    save for a few times a year when I get together with other specialists in the same niche.

    That must be a wonderful experience. I love experts.