You are so right. Communication skills are just as, if not MORE important than coding skills. If you spend days/weeks/months in a locked room reading & coding you may learn an awful lot, but how will anybody ever know that to hire you? Unless you've created some ground-breaking app to show potential employers, you are never going to get hired on your skills alone. You need to have some pr skills as well. Retail is a great way to learn that.

In all honesty, this person sounds like they are looking for a quick & easy answer. Don't want to go to college? Don't want to work in retail? Don't really think you're going too far...