Hello im a highschooler who struggles with everything and i have autism along witha few other things. i dont hav ea job and im afraid to drive ,not only tha tmos tof my tech is low end so im very limited.
Ive been wanting to create somethign but im not sure what also my intersts changes each day and i tend to pick things that are to hard for me, also im afraid of pointy things like knifes, saws, etc becasue im a clutz. righ now im thinking of trying music or covers but i hav eno musical talent also i dont se ethe point, and idk how that even works.
is there a hobby or thing you would suggest for a loser like me?
You have to enjoy a hobby in itself, if you’re too focused on results then you’ll have problems with the gulf between your ability and your aspiration. Is there anything you’ve tried doing that you just enjoy doing? Like do you just enjoy banging on a piano or drawing or writing, regardless of the output?
honestly i have no clue i always reserch things but then i get overwhelmed or distracted so i never begin them but im kind of a ner dlike i liek tech, games, dnd things.
Well, tech is a funny thing—I kind of feel bad for zoomers and alphas for how badly the industry has fucked it up. They’ve turned it into consumption-as-hobby, so that it’s the nerd equivalent of being a “foodie.” The “hobby” seems to just consist of keeping track of the trends in consumer hardware, then using it in a shallow way as was intended by the engineers and marketers.
That said, there are still honest-to-god tech-related hobbies, like programming, art, music, even modding. There’s also the deeper stuff, like playing with ESP-12s or breadboards or the like.
What do you like about D&D?
well iv etried programming and i cant code at all and im very limited with tech, what i like about dnd is that its a wonderful break from reality and computer and it gets a group together to play a non pc game and such, if that makes sense.
I think the thing that’s needed to enjoy programming is liking puzzles that don’t have definite, known-in-advance solutions. It isn’t like chess, because the confines on what you can do are very loose. But it isn’t Calvinball either, since the computer is still just an electrodynamic machine that’s ultimately gonna do whatever it’s gonna do. Hence it’s still far more constrained than something like drawing or graphic design, where you can do literally anything you want to.
So I think that’s what you need to like to pursue programming as a hobby: figuring out how to get the computer to do what you want it to do, basically through the engineering of processes.
And I guess that’s an important thing to note also: programming isn’t about math or logic, it’s about designing processes. It’s like, if you want to come up with an exact technical specification for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you have to account for the possibility that you’re out of bread, peanut butter, and/or jelly; that all your knives are dirty; that, if getting ingredients requires going to the store, your car might not start… Process can be as complex as you’re willing to put up with.
I say all this because, again, you can’t go into programming wanting to make a video game. You have to go into it wanting to play with process.
In terms of wanting a break from reality, you know, writing and drawing are both great ways of doing that. The same caveats apply: you have to like playing with words to get good at writing, and you have to like playing with pencils to get good at drawing. If you sit down and write some stories, I can almost guarantee you they’ll be terrible. Doesn’t matter. That’s not the goal. The goal is to have fun with words.
If you’re into tech and D&D, what about 3d printing? It’s techy, ties into D&D (printing minis, map elements, etc), and you can get into it for relatively cheap. A cheap resin 3d printer is like $200. You can use a water-washable resin to skip the harsh chemicals, and you can cure it in the sun, skipping a cure station. I have an Anycubic Phonto Mono, which was like $200, and prints some GORGEOUS minis.
As you get deeper and more involved, you can upgrade to a wash & cure station, bigger printers, different resins, etc. You can start by printing other people’s designs, then as you learn more, start making and printing your own designs.
Absolutely for 3D printing. It’s both a creative and tech hobby. It allows you to create and make things using technical skills that really feels like sci-fi/magic.
I would say start with an FDM printer (filament, like and Ender 3-style printer). If you enjoy it, and you want to make more detailed, smaller models, go to resin. Resin requires a lot more time and investment in the post-processing phase, but you can make crazy accurate miniatures.
It’s also something that satiates that constant need to try something else. There’s always things to learn, both hardware and software.
Knitting is great for a bunch of reasons, but as another autistic person who knits, let me give you a few specific reasons why it’s a good hobby for autistics.
There are simple building blocks (knit, purl, increases, decreases, etc.) and you get a pattern that tells you exactly how to put them together to make something. If you don’t understand something, there are tons of people online who will give you extremely detailed explanations. Seriously, this is one area where an autistic person can be satisfied with the level of detail in an answer to their questions.
It’s also a good stim, because easy patterns can become mindless, but it’s also a good way to practice mindfulness, and it will even give you lots of the same benefits as meditation (which I cannot do. At all.)
If you’re a ‘picky about socks’ autist like me, you will be able to make luxurious socks exactly the way you want them, after a while anyway.
Knitted items are a great way to show someone you care about them, and I know sometimes that can be really hard for us. Every time someone uses the knitted item you made them it’s like they’re getting a warm hug from you, without all the awkwardness of an actual hug.
It scratches a lot of autistic itches, and you should give it a try.
If you’re into fantasy, what about writing fiction? Since dnd is multiplayer story telling, you might have a lot of fun doing world building and creating a cool adventure for others to read.