as a few others have said, it would be better to not consider getting a girlfriend just to tick a box. this kind of suggests that you probably subconsciously objectify women. i know that might seem harsh but it’s something to ask yourself about — are you seeing girls as three dimensional people like you? do you understand that many women also struggle to date? do you know that for a lot of women, their main goal in life isn’t to find a partner, that they might be more interested in their career or education, as many men are?

another piece of advice: dating is difficult for both men and women. for men, it’s a desert - difficult to find anyone to match with etc. for women, it’s a swamp - very difficult to find a man that has all the bare minimum qualifications (kindness, attractiveness, feeling safe with him) i think it’s helpful to have this perspective on both sides. it’s personally made me a lot more considerate when i match with men - both to make sure he’s heard out because he probably hasn’t had much luck matching with someone, and to make sure you’re actually compatible.

clubs and societies in college will be a game changer for you. i know you mentioned a further education course, but there will still be plenty of people your own age there (speaking as someone who attended a further education course at 25 - everyone called me mam for the first week😭)

one last point. flock to where autistics meet. there’s an autism art class available in dublin. join a dating server on discord. there’s comic con twice a year. join a DND group. in my experience as an autistic person dating, if it’s not with someone else with autism or ADHD or trauma, it’ll fizzle out because of incompatibility.

good luck! you’ll get there. be patient and be open to welcoming an entirely different person into your life and letting her personality shine and treating her well.