Well, I can't entirely say that I did! So far, it hasn't been much more than doing a decent job in the different positions I've held, and working in a few diff

Well, I can't entirely say that I did! So far, it hasn't been much more than doing a decent job in the different positions I've held, and working in a few different industry sectors. I've worked for a large silicon valley company, a couple of public sector organizations, and a couple of small startups, and I've taken on management and dev roles. I keep up my contacts. When the startup I was working for folded, I got a bunch of interviews (lots of tech questions), but my best offer came from a former coworker who didn't bother with a tech test because he'd already worked with me. While I wish I could say I'd done more (presented at conferences, made big contributions to open source, etc...), but in some ways this is a better story, because people start to think that if they need to be a total rock star. You really don't have to, just keep up your contacts and make sure you have a reputation for good work.