ABSTRACT
Mentoring is neither a new activity nor even a recent one. In Greek mythology, when Odysseus leŸ for the Trojan War (ca. 1194-1184 BC) he placed Mentor, a wise man, in charge of his son, Telemachus, and his palace. Mentor guided the young (and myopic) Telemachus in search of his lost father. Such pairing of young, talented men with older masters has a long tradition and existed through the medieval ages, where master craŸsmen in guilds would train promising apprentices in all aspects of their craŸ. Mentoring is also common
in traditional female homemaking roles (older women teaching younger women how to look aŸer their children, family, etc.). In trade and business, successful businessmen have long taken young, promising people under their tutelage. Donald Trump, in the TV show „e Apprentice, doesn’t quite play the role, but the title indicates the continuing acceptance of the term. In science, PhD and postdoctoral programs are designed to have a long apprenticeship period, and those who are fortunate to serve under known scholars usually have more promising careers themselves.
