I am 28, have never had a job or schooling, what to do?

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As per the subject I am 28 and have never had a job or been to school. Furthermore I have a disability called Arthrogryposis where, for me, I have very limited use of my arms/hands. However I can use all my lower extremities fine. Also, while I have not been diagnosed, I am very sure I have Asperger's. I currently receive SSI and my father helps me with bills and such. I just recently turned 28 and it has really shook me up. I keep thinking I am only 2 years away from 30 and feel horrible never having a job or schooling, and with the economy the way it is I really regret not going to school right out of HS. Pretty much all I do is stay in my room 24/7 and play games and browse the web.

I do want to go to school this year (got a DUI two years ago but this coming may I will finally have all my fees paid off and be off probation and hopefully have my record cleared) but I was not that great at school and had lots of trouble learning stuff and feel real anxious about going back and having to start from the ground up considering I don't remember any math, science or anything but I know I have to. I will also freely admit that due to me pretty much living a sedentary life style since the end of HS I know lazyness is something that will be hard to break as well. But I have a huge problem with being around lots of people and while I do live in my own apt with a roommate (that does work but like me when not working pretty much stays in his room just playing on his PC) it's difficult to think going to college being around lots of people.

I just don't know what the best course of action is all things considered.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

One thing you can do is check the local community college and take one class, just one, and get an idea about how college works. Don't feel like you have to jump into a full academic schedule before you've figured out what you'd like to do. Twenty eight is still young, too young to commit yourself to something you'll hate just for the sake of 'doing something'.

Sacrip's idea of a community college is a great start - just stop in and ask to set-up an appointment with an academic advisor. Your advisor is the first point of contact to clarify what you might be interested in taking, given your transcript and other factors. Working part-time while taking a couple of complimentary classes might be a good option.

No worries......you're taking the right step. You deserve better than just to be confined to your room, and then you can decide what you might wish to do - there are lots of options! If you are unsure what you might be good at doing, consider volunteering a few hours a week, such as at your local library or recreation centre.

You might ask your academic advisor if there is someone at your community college that you can 'buddy up' at class, just until your more comfortable with your direction. All the best Azureth - you can do it!

I did a quick read on Arthrogryposis and I can see how your limited hand mobility may limit your options significantly. My first suggestion, therefore, is that you spend the next two weeks doing research to find out about viable careers that exist for someone with limited hand mobility. Get your father involved and together drive to the major university libraries in your area, as well as the headquarters branch of your county library system, and ask the research librarians for help with this--it is the kind of research project that professional research librarians live for.

Also look on the US federal gov't jobs website and research what jobs provide accommodations that would make a job doable for you: every federal agency has an Obama mandate to hire more adults with disabilities and there are special application processes that can get you extra consideration for hiring.

Once you've found out what jobs you can realistically do, and that appeal to you, then you will have the focus, drive and motivation to make the most of the community college exploration route that others have suggested.

Glenn Laniewski
author, "Why your child with autism needs to get a volunteer job before high school, and how to help them get one"