I saw this on someone’s Facebook and it resonated with me.
The reason everyone tells you to go to a good school, a good company, is to get a good guru. Quantum Leap is not just about physics, it’s not just about the growth of the company. It’s about people. To make Quantum Leap, it’s important to keep working hard, but it’s also important to think a lot and meet a lot of people.** I’m in a place where I’m constantly being consumed, but when I have time, I try to meet someone I consider a guru. You can spend 10 minutes with someone like that and live for a year. You can find gurus at conferences, you can find them on YouTube, but I usually meet them in coffee shops. I often learn more in a casual conversation than in the formal setting of a conference.