It’s definitely possible to do, but being a junior dev in his early 60s after being a C-level executive for years is likely to be a tough transition mentally.
If he hasn’t wanted to program before now, and is primarily doing it because he’s seeing ageism in executive roles, I would recommend against this path (pretty strongly).
If he’s always been interested in it, dabbled in and enjoyed perfecting Excel workbooks and now wants to make the jump, that’s a different story.
In the former case, keep being an executive, especially if he’s got a track record of leading companies that are generally well-regarded. Even with ageism, I think he’ll find that easier and likely more rewarding.
If he hasn’t wanted to program before now, and is primarily doing it because he’s seeing ageism in executive roles, I would recommend against this path (pretty strongly).
If he’s always been interested in it, dabbled in and enjoyed perfecting Excel workbooks and now wants to make the jump, that’s a different story.
In the former case, keep being an executive, especially if he’s got a track record of leading companies that are generally well-regarded. Even with ageism, I think he’ll find that easier and likely more rewarding.