Reaching out your maximum potential as a developer and a dot NET specialist requires time and persistence. There are some principles that will help modern dedicated dot NET developers to become more successful and in-demand, and in this article, you will learn about the top 5 of them.
        
1. Education

It is useful for any developer to have a college degree in computer science, software design, or software programming, but it is not mandatory. A lot of skilled developers have different education and it doesn’t stop them from being an expert in the field. 

Nowadays there are lots of opportunities to learn and grow professionally, including online courses, meetups, conferences, and so on. Speaking about courses, they can give the most important information to dot NET developers and often cover the fundamentals of development:
    
    1. Basics of object-oriented programming. Even seasoned developers need to refresh their knowledge on such a basic topic because this is the heart of dot NET development services. 
    2. C# basics. This is the language that the dot NET platform is built on. Studying C# will get you through all the platform peculiarities and allow for working with databases, WPF module, and so on.
    3. Database development. A crucial part for any dot NET developer includes examining SQL Server, and other databases used in dot NET projects. 
    4. WPF, web development with ASP.NET, web services and WCF, and more. Dot NET is a widely used platform with a large number of features that are important for any developer to know. 

Remember to always expand your knowledge, know all the development trends, and dot NET platform updates to catch up with the tech market. 

2. Certification

A certificate that validates your particular skills or knowledge is great when you have a purpose for it. For example, if you want to start your career in a particular industry or a dot NET development company, learn what certification they require. Getting a random certificate is often a waste of time and money when you can not use it. It this case, it is considered better to fill a portfolio with notable projects. 

Speaking about official certificates, Microsoft offers a wide range of them sorted by roles, technologies, platforms, and so on.  You can learn what you need for your current job or just get the knowledge you need for personal development and pass the exam to get a certificate. 

3. Tech trends

Every now and then there are updates brought to the dot NET platform. A developer who wants to keep pace with the evolving world of technologies needs to keep in mind that it is always important to acquire new information. 

Read the official dot NET blog or blogs of industry leaders, browse the Visual Studio Magazine for news and insights, participate in Quora and StackOverflow discussions to know the latest news and issues. 

4. Documentation

This advice is relevant for any dedicated dot NET developer. Reading project documentation on a regular basis is a good habit for any developer who wants to become an expert. 

The documentation keeps track of all aspects of the software development project, be it feature implementation, new architecture building, or anything else. Reading it, a developer will always be aware of how server environments perform, what business rules the application follows, how the code is being deployed, and more. 

Creating your own project documentation and extending the existing one is even more important for a developer's professional growth. Code documentation is a vital part of every application, and the skill to create it in the right way allows for a better understanding of the project architecture and implementation approaches. It will also help you and your teammates when you get back to the old code - you see a detailed commentary and remember how everything works. 

5. Web and Mobile

Whether or not you are a mobile or web application developer, you want to be prepared for any challenge the market has for you. Learning the basics of web and mobile development will not only to IT HRs but also enhance your understanding of multiplatform solution development. 

A good technical skillset will include PHP, ASP.NET, HTML plus CSS, JavaScript, Android and iOS SDKs, and more. Your ability to understand these should be backed by the ability to explain. You should be able to explain these technologies to your clients and help them choose from numerous frameworks and so on. 

All of the above will help you advance your skillset and become a more demanded dot NET solutions development specialist. Your self-sufficiency will grow as well as the ability to solve intricate tasks, which is a very valuable skill in the modern market.