Just tell him that pointer chasing is slow, so he will be trapped in the micro optimization train. Forever.

Thanks. I told him and provided him the link to this thread so he could read all of it.

I correct students in C++ class. I'd say 5% will never be a programmer, 50% shouldn't become a programmer (lack of interest), 45% will do well, and the last 5% have got that extra edge. As far as the extra edge goes, it won't matter. What matters is where your interests lie, and whether you can focus. If you find yourself constantly watching YouTube or Twitch, or playing games, you will never be the best at anything.

Considering you are working on parsing C++, which is draconic in difficulty, I'm assuming you want to be the very best. Unplug internet, buy a book, create code. Rinse - repeat. If not, just create the parser that works for you and try to keep your motivation up and try not to lose your passion for programming. Both are needed more than anything else. Being the best simply means you have to make sacrifices that doesn't necessarily translate into anything worthwhile. I personally just take it easy and do whatever I feel like - it just happens to mostly be programming.

The levels of indirection is fun. In professional code I've occasionally run across five or six layers, often it gets fun when proxies are involved. That is pretty rare, most code is limited to two indirections.

As mentioned in many other threads similar to this, some people have natural affinities, personal traits, and passions that lead them to certain fields. Some people are better suited to be mechanics, or lawyers, or pilots, or yard care specialists, or tour guides, or plumbers, or artists, or bakers, or electricians, or teachers, or other fields. Some people love the math and logic associated with programming, some people dislike it, and some people hate it. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, the diversity is a really good thing, because when there are fields and professions that are universally hated it can make things very difficult.

I have a neighbor friend who has been a professional janitor for decades, he loves cleaning bathrooms most of all and describes how he just gets in to the grove and could clean all day, finding it invigorating and freeing his mind. I would grudgingly take the job he loves if I was sufficiently desperate for money. Plus as I find no enjoyment in the task and have little experience or motivation, his work would be not just higher quality, but also more efficient than mine.