The only question (and it appears to be the majority of the responses here) that looks like you can answer well is if other people have done what he's considering doing. Maybe that's the discussion he's looking for; the comments to that affect are definitely good.

The remaining questions regarding coding vs. management or what skills to 'brush up on' are very person-dependent beyond general platitudes. Sure, discussions can be had, but it kind of depends on what he wants.