I’ve been recommending alternative bands (LoRA is cool, or GMRS) over HAM unless the person I’m talking to has an interest in radio and significant time for the licensing process itself, because the HAM bands sure aren’t worth it for the conversation
like fuck, even the folks doing ultra-long-range HF work have automated away the part where you have to ever talk to a member of the HAM community
there is still cool shit you can do with an amateur license (ultra-cheap radios and $5 antennas made partially out of trees that do international comms, SSTV, fucking with SDRs, long-range unencrypted LoRA) but a ton of the HAM community will actively discourage you from doing any of it because most of them are laser-focused on gear acquisition, contesting for bullshit accolades, and elitism
and to be honest, the license is the least interesting part of any of it (or is a gigantic opsec risk, depending on the tendencies of your local radio community)