I knew my English degree would pay off eventually

Jason Fried (of 37Signals) says:

If you are trying to decide between a few people to fill your position, always hire the better writer. I don’t care if that person is a designer, programmer, marketer, salesperson, whatever. Assuming your candidates are fairly equally skilled and qualified overall, always hire the better writer.

I couldn't agree more. Ms. Quin, my 12th-grade English teacher, would be so proud. And this maxim applies especially to programmers. It's not enough to do brilliant work — you have to be able to explain it to the rest of the team, or it's almost useless.