You and I both know that's utter crap. You're telling this kid he can't fly because--he's shy? When I was 16, I was the same way, and I'm quite sure it hasn't impaired my flying ability.
I am telling the
adult that acting shyly in the face of adversity is not going to enable him to act as a leader in the flight deck.
If people giving advice here were snobs, they would say that candidate x could not achieve the career as he has not achieved 3 A Levels from Eton, Oxford degree and would have had a seat in the Lords were it not for those pesky Labour party commoners.
This is instead a lesson in meritocracy, and offering advice to those who seek it.