I don't care where people start as long as they are willing to learn and don't shoot the messenger when they find out that there's a reason people who know a lot also charge a lot. It's not a subject you can master overnight, in a month, or in a year.
I'm 38, and while i've been planning to make this 'jump' for at least a couple years and have been interested in 'energy' (technology/policy/et al) for most of my life, I only started pulling triggers in january or february of this year. I've had a quick 'uptake' because of my technical background in cars (which is almost all DC except for low-power sensor circuits and EV charging/motor control stuff which i have relatively little hands-on with). But, i have a ton to learn and even knowing what i already know, i didn't realize how much this topic would be consuming all my 'spare' brainpower for the forseeable future.
Recently I traded a forklift for a pile of stuff including 3000lb of used FLA deep cycles (2000lb of which now hooked to my house) and 4 pallets of used solar panels, more than half broken but still probably ~7kw unbroken (rated, anyway), including ~104 68w panels i'll start using in the near future. It was fortuitous because a guy came to look at the forklift and from the car he drove in, what he was wearing, how he talked etc i really couldn't tell much about him (which is fine!) and he didn't want the forklift for cash, so i happened to ask if he wanted to trade anything and he said 'what are you looking for?'. Well that's the hard part because im so flush with mechanical ability and space to keep things that i can think of a way to use almost anything.. eventually. AKA hoarder.
Turns out he had a whole yard full of stuff i wanted because he's an electrician that primarily does solar! Turns out the yard full of stuff i drive by every day on my way to the school i teach at. Turns out this guy had actually taken some of the automotive classes at the program i teach at, AS WELL AS going through the renewable energy program, which is what he ended up doing. He's in his 30s like me but more like 31, running this cool little solar business! So it was a heartwarming set of coincidences and a great connection to make.
I guess if you're looking for the next generation of renewable energy people, vocational training programs are a good place to start that search. Even car people like me are 1/2 way there without realizing it just from the technical background. My buddy who's in HVAC.. same thing. Anywhere people have to understand electricity to do their jobs, it's just a hop skip and jump to putting up your own little grid and being a part of all this.