Working as a .NET Professional is a tumultuous rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and crushing lows. It’s likely the same for other communities, with different flavors of success and failures. I have over a decade of .NET development work, and I am here to share some general mantras that have served me well. I hate to call it adivce because all advice is context-specific. Readers should take any general counsel with a healthy dose of skepticism and critical thinking. That said, I hope folks reading this will find value through the prism of my experiences.