Layoffs also don't really tell you anything. Is it actually LLMs that are causing layoffs or is it deteroriating economic conditions and uncertainty amidst war, oil shocks, etc.? Is it junior employees being laid off, or seniors? If it's the former, someone with 10+ years of professional experience might not have reason to be concerned. I happen to believe that, LLMs or not, the software development field already had far too many jobs, employing a large number of clueless people who contributed somewhere between zero and negative value to their organizations, and that it was overdue for a correction anyways.
but for "woodwork" / personal-farm still belive he is better off than software. at least he will be employed and have food on the table.
Rejecting industrialized society is actually very expensive
However, it's a risky business so I'd only recommend getting started if you either (!) are FIRE already even after sinking 3 million bucks into purchasing land and machinery as well as constructing all the buildings or if you join a cooperative/union or if you got experienced farmers in your family.
Everything else - especially following "prepper" influencers shilling books and holding more public speeches to shill for said books than they are actually working on their farm - is a recipe for certain disaster.
If in doubt... first try raising a few dozen chickens in your yard as a starting point.
No. Just try to make a 5x8 plot to grow vegetables and realise how ridiculously hard it is.
That works out as well, yeah.
Chickens have the advantage that they eat almost anything and they'll give you eggs. Loads of eggs. More eggs than you can realistically eat if you're not into weightlifting. And especially, they give you eggs for a looooong time - if you eat that salad or tomato, it's gone. The chicken lasts longer, and you can make it into some delicious soup at the end. But for that you need to be able to stomach killing the chicken, which frankly I do not lol.