DS's worries about 'The Future'

[CardboardPlastic]

I'm a bit stuck and wondered if anyone could advise. My DS who is 12 with AS has a lot of anxiety (surprise, surprise) which has worsened since starting secondary (he's in Year 8). This morning he was very upset and wouldn't go to school. After some discussion about what worries him etc he says that often he wakes up just terrified about the future and the fact that he doesn't know what it holds for him, and what effect his poor school attendance (approx 80%) will have on his future.
Obviously I've tried to reassure him that no one knows what the future holds, especially when you're 12 etc etc.

What I find difficult is that although I have some strategies up my sleeve for helping him with day to day anxieties (they don't always work of course), I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to help with these worries about the big, shapeless 'future'. Anything I say does sound a bit like a platitude.

Any suggestions?

Thanks Polter, that's very helpful. Yes my route was scenic to say the very least too, including getting thrown out of art school along the way so I can give him plenty of examples of the twists and turns of getting somewhere. Yes I imagine there are horribly go-getting assemblies. Urgh. Will take the 'follow your passion' message on board!

Dear nephew who is approaching 16 is anxious about 'the future' too as a pp said the college assemblies about how you must 'do well at school' to succeed in life do nothing to help. We're all truthful with him that to succeed you need to work hard but that's not necessarily in an academic sense. We use the case study of a family friend (now a millionaire with his own construction company) who spent the rare days he attended school in the 'remedials' (obviously long since abolished) building balsa wood models