[pumpmylemma]

   Also how do you meet programming partners.

It's been my experience that trying to find a good person to work with is like dating. If you're actively trying to find someone, you seem to have less luck than if you're not trying to find someone and you often settle for something less than great.

My advice is to go find find some open source projects that tackle a problem you find interesting and contribute. In the process of working on open source projects, you'll find people that you can work with well. They might be useful in the future.