Key things to learn to be a senior developer under the MS platform

Question

I know the following:

asp.net webforms, mvc, sql server 2005/2008, web services, and windows services.

I want to expand so I can be a little more versatile.

What things should I be focusing on? (this is general guidance, with a web focus)

I am thinking:

SSIS windows workflow sharepoint

What other common skills should I know that seem to be go well with what I know already?

Answer 1

Hey,

Architectural/design patterns are a big plus. Understanding how technology should be applied when in charge of an application, what technologies to choose in different situations.

If you like the web focus, AJAX, the MS AJAX framework, JQuery, is good to know. Silverlight is also good to know...

Answer 2

Not technologies but principles really SOLID ORM TDD DDD

Answer 3

Er, learn how to lead a team. Your seniors will promote you when they trust you to lead. Listing more platforms doesn't do anything unless you're trying to get hired somewhere else.

Here's a start.

Answer 4

A mindset for test-driven code and continuous integration will get you far, I've found. Keeping these in focus while developing will give you a safety net to fall back on while minimizing risks of regression bugs.

Keep an open mind on the 'how' to do things, and constantly ask 'why' you are doing things the way you are. A true senior developer under any language won't mind being shown a better way to do things. Use tools that analyze your code (PartCover, nDepend, resharper) and understand their suggestions.

Work on some open source projects -- learning in a silo won't give you constructive criticism on what you're producing.