Ask HN: Is it (un)ethical to advise older people to switch to a tech career?

I have recently had two older acquaintances independently ask me about how to get into programming. One is a retired air traffic controller (51 y.o.) and one is a lawyer who is burned out (47 y.o.). I told both of them what I tell anyone who asks me this question: it would be hard but possible for them to make the switch. I was very clear that it would require that they put in significant time, focus and work and that it would not be easy. I gave them a bunch of resources to start with and told them they could ask me questions any time. They are intelligent enough and I honestly believe that if they put in the time they could be pretty good.

The thing is, I am not sure I did the right thing. Age discrimination is a reality in this industry. Sure, there are older guys working as developers, but all of the ones I know have been doing it for 20-30 years. None of them got started so late. So, what kind of opportunities, realistically, are these guys looking at, provided they put in the time? I guess I am putting this out there to get other thoughts on the matter because I really just don't know.