just say my adult son came to me and asked me that same question, I'd tell him a couple basic things and forego the well-intended philosophical and complex replies there are a lot of here. I'd tell him to read some basic stuf on the market just to make sure he knew the differences between things like options, TA and say, reading the ticker, or what an ETF is. Then I'd tell him to research candle sticks, moving averages, and learn to read charts. I'd make sure he knew that this whole subject is like advanced mathmatics and can't be learned overnight and will seldom be mastered in one lifetime. That the randomness of every element of it makes it probably one of the hardest things to understand in todays world. BUT, by keeping it simple, he's got a shot. I'd tell him that in many ways it's a lot like starting any business and that shortcuts are dangerous and expensive. And I'd advise that he focus on a small arena that he can get a grasp of and experiment with rather than be overwhelmed by trying to inderstand it all.
But most of all, I'd tell him that there is a whole industry out there that is related to it that hawks software, methods and claims, the vast majority of which are next to useless and only there to swindle him out of his capital and his confidence.