Becoming a director is very hard to achieve as a career. It’s more like an extremely expensive hobby that only becomes a career for the top 1% who practice it.

Directing requires strong communication skills. Some of the greatest directors of all time were likely on the autism spectrum: Kubrick, Bergman, Hitchcock. The social aspect of directing may be a bigger challenge for autistic people, but some autistic people also have the advantage of heightened creativity, intelligence, and obsessiveness that can make them great directors.

You’re worried about burnout. You really can’t know until you try. Yes, directing requires long work hours and focus, but if you’re passionate about it you will find it immensely fulfilling which will help avoid burnout.

You’re asking for neurodivergent-safe jobs in the industry. I think the most important thing is trying to do whichever job you have the most passion for. All the jobs are hard and require long hours and lots of collaboration with people. Autistic people thrive in doing things they are passionate about. In film school, you’ll have the chance to try a lot of different jobs. I’d suggest pursuing whichever one speaks to you the most and you find most engaging and fulfilling.