Career Planning in Autismland

It is time I started thinking about my future. I will turn 16 soon and it makes me start to imagine that in a little more than 3 years I will be a high school graduate. Then what? My funding for an aide will stop or be reduced to a minimum because the support ends when high school ends. I don’t want to return to a non-doing life. High school is the beginning of my future, but with a reduction in  help in college and career, I will have to find a way. We all in Autismland depend too much on our long toiling parents. My observation is that normal kids move on, for the most part, though many still slack off too long for some reason. I don’t want to be a slacker. I want the kind of life that is independent, though with autism that is really hard. I want a real career that earns me a living. I think it’s necessary to be able to provide for yourself to feel good, but earning a living is tricky because the disability of autism interferes with our behavior. My motivation may help me try harder, but I wonder what career I can find. I’ve been told I’d be an excellent consultant for educators, autism professionals, and parents, and have done so already. Still, I think the time to begin planning is sooner, not later.