On the other hand, I would point out that sometimes the opposite is true. Working alone (or perhaps in a place where you might be one of the best in the room)

On the other hand, I would point out that sometimes the opposite is true. Working alone (or perhaps in a place where you might be one of the best in the room) means you learn more about programming and how to solve problems than you would otherwise. Why? Because if you're the only one working on something, you have to be the one to solve all the difficult problems. On the other hand, if you work with other/smarter people, it's also possible to end up not really doing as much challenging work, as they'll take over anything you see as too 'difficult' or too much effort to learn. It's definitely recommended to learn from others, but you have to make sure you're not just letting them do all the work.