They tend to be skewed to focus on the elements of a hobby that are easier or more interesting to simulate, rather than the actual problem points you're likely to run into. I would only ever consider them supplemental to actual instructional materials, like written guides, classes, and video tutorials.

A lot of simulator games are also much more focused on simulating the business side of an activity, the buying and selling of parts, setting prices, interacting with customers. They're more like Lemonade Stand clones, basically. That said, Kerbal Space Program is a great tool for making the basic mechanics of spaceflight more intuitive.

Meanwhile, in the southeast, my AC has been coming on. In February. Climate change is wild.

This is going to be even more subjective than the framerate bump. If your screen is too small, or you're sitting too far from it, or your eyesight just isn't good enough, the answer could be no. Personally, I have a hard time telling apart 1080p from 1440p at around three feet from a 24" screen. Any closer though, it's noticeably different.

It might technically run games, since it's got a modern integrated GPU, but it's still an integrated GPU. You'll get 30fps-ish at around lowest settings. If you're just looking for a gaming machine, try to get a laptop with a dedicated GPU. Also: the 32GB model is probably a waste of money either way, 16GB is fine for most use cases for about as long as a laptop will last you.