My top advice would be to look for their comparative advantage. For some that's an ability to work very hard at something they're not obviously talented at or a

My top advice would be to look for their comparative advantage. For some that's an ability to work very hard at something they're not obviously talented at or attracted to. OTOH I knew someone who fit just that description who still failed to make the move from technician to programmer, after a lot of personal time studying.