I think you and the author might agree in principle just not on the semantics. Apprenticeships focus on learning by doing, which you can do without a mentor in

I think you and the author might agree in principle just not on the semantics. Apprenticeships focus on learning by doing, which you can do without a mentor in a junior role, at a company with no seniors. The apprenticeship is not literal in that sense, the teacher is the projects you're working on and you sink or swim based on your merit. But regardless of how good you are, you need experiences to sharpen your skills, which you can only do over time. It differs across the industry but programming skill is not most important in a senior anyway. You learn business logic, client relationships, team and project management over time and those soft skills are what sets seniors apart. Or should.