Fair point but remember its possible that he knows he will never make the grade at programming. He can know that from trying similar things before again and aga

Fair point but remember its possible that he knows he will never make the grade at programming. He can know that from trying similar things before again and again. Some 'nerds' will never make the grade at football. They don't need to keep trying in order to know that and if you keep pushing it on them they find it insulting and possibly even humiliating.