Now seems to be a great time for someone to join. When I joined Steemit a couple years ago, there wasn't as much curation of new accounts as I see taking place now, especially with the former bidbots who now seem to curate gems.
Despite that, I still believe the best way forward is to find others of interest and make connections by intelligent, heartfelt comments. And read the comments on those posts, as others of like mind will be found there. That will grow ones community quickly.
Sorry to hear the person you onboarded has had so many issues. Wondering if they might be best served starting a new account and then not repeating what they were doing. Guessing they have earned next to nothing and probably have seen their rep going backwards. Nothing to lose starting fresh for them now that they have a better idea of what not to do.
You were spot on.
Even with this. The account was a mess, and now a new one was created. Then he went busy with exams. As long as the mind is open to learning, screwing up is fine.