I've lived through the dot-com burst, 4 recessions, 3 stock implosions, 3 personal tragedies, and more mergers and acquisitions than I can remember. I have writ

I've lived through the dot-com burst, 4 recessions, 3 stock implosions, 3 personal tragedies, and more mergers and acquisitions than I can remember. I have written millions of lines of code and have never missed a day of work. It has had nothing to do with choice of technology, industry, physical location, contacts, or luck (I think). The only common denominator I can cite is finding out what people (customers or employers) really need, figuring out how to build it for them, consistently building it, and staying friendly and helpful throughout. Do that and nothing else matters. Don't do that and keep worrying about it. It's that simple.