So I have this cousin over right now, and since he just graduated, I asked him what course he wants in college. He told me animation, as in anime animation. He's really into anime and manga, loves to draw, and really just every "nerdy" thing you could think of.
I think that he has no chance, at all, in achieving his dreams. He has a few problems:
1) He's "special". This is what we call autistic people where I live. I'm not sure what disorder he has, but it is very evident. He is 17 but behaves like a 10 year old.
2) He is not good at drawing. At all. Everyone who's seen it knows it as well, and it was awkward as hell when he showed me his drawings. I couldn't even lie and compliment him.
3) He has no prior experience with animating. And he hasn't even applied to the college he wants yet!
4) His brainchild, a universe where literally every "geek" franchise is mashed together, is horrible. It is what it is, bad fanfiction. He's put so much effort into it it's sad.
5) We don't live in Japan. There is a pretty big anime/manga following here, but there are no natively produced anime series. I'm not sure about this, but I bet that he won't be taken seriously even if he did move to Japan.
I re-read that and I realized I might sound like a gigantic asshole. But everything I said is true. I really don't want my cousin to throw away his life, but since he's "special" no one in the family has the guts to talk to his parents. His parents have sort of always tried to believe that their son is normal, that he can live a normal life, but he just can't. Someone needs to talk to him before there's no hope for him. Where I live you don't enter college right after high school, you are automatically a waiter in McDonalds.
Do any of you guys have experienced something like this? Or am I approaching this the wrong way, should I encourage him to follow his dreams, as unattainable it might seem?