[devodave]

My son (he passed away in September, he would be 22 today) was on the spectrum as well. Smart as hell, but no desire to interact with others and preferred to spend his time on the computer, primarily gaming, but tended to be ones that were not team based. Tough call, he wanted to be a mechanical engineer, but could not handle going to college for the degree that was required. The local community college has programs in engineering, machine tool operation, welding, etc. but again, I think the required classroom structure was terrifying for him.

I think you are on the right track with finding that something that your son is passionate about and letting him run with it. My son and I had kicked around the idea of opening a small machine shop after I retire, primarily as a means to justify my growing collection of machinery. He was excited about that prospect, but was frustrated with me for not moving as fast as he thought it should have been. Lastly, if your son is like mine, he may not be as mature as his peers, so a structured time table may be too daunting for him as well. There should be no rush for him to complete something other than his own desire to see it through. Even he he only takes one class at a time, he would be working, making progress, and perhaps maturing in his ability to interact with others socially as well (If he already interacts socially with others, that's great!). I wish him (and you) lots of luck! It believe it is very doable.