It is a bit ridiculous to go up to a 50-something-year-old who has never done anything other than coal mining and say "why don't you take up coding?" The economic hardship of resuming schooling immediately after losing your job is stunning and people are being asked to transition into jobs that are totally out of their skillset or comfort zone.
True, but this guy is only 33 years old. In my mid-30s I pushed the reset button on my career. It was hard but doable.
You likely had a specific idea of what you wanted to do and expectations you'd be able to do it and not move from where you wanted to live.
What do you think the world owes a 33-year-old who is not willing to make a big change in order to have a career? Maybe you disagree, but I think his situation is different from a man 20 years older who will have a harder time learning new skills and will face serious age discrimination.
I don't disagree, but unlike many economists who come up with ideas of what's best, I realize that man is not a perfectly rational creature.
