A couple of the best people I’ve gotten to work with have been programmers who have PhD degrees in science. I guess the creativity and perseverance carries over to technology. They are great problem solvers. We were co-located in a casual office although I think today we could do essentially the same tasks remotely. The group brought out the best analytical and creative skills in each other and the standards of quality deliverables were extremely high as a result. I think working with peers that you respect leads you to do your best work.

Now, I tend to find other creative, good people via social media (twitter, facebook, etc.). Offline, I have had the pleasure of meeting some superstars via meetups, technical user groups and social media gatherings.

-David

Darren, Jeff — I know exactly what you mean, although I wouldn’t necessarily use the word ‘competition’. I remember when I first went to the Poetry School in London, the standard in the class was much higher than I been used to from other writing groups, which was great because it pushed me to raise my own game and I learnt a huge amount from working with people who were more experienced and accomplished than me.

Just as Michael Jordan raised the game play of Scottie Pippen, I was told in school to select someone above your level on purpose. Humbling at first, you simply have no choice but to give more effort and push yourself. It’s blogs like this that challenge our thinking and encourage us at the same time.

Plus combining my 2 favorite subjects in productivity and creativity, I’m excited to see where you and your team take us.

Which, to be quite frank, is a great place to be. You get away with a lot more, y’know?

Ryan — the virtual internship sounds very cool. Yes we are indeed living in interesting times…