1.choose jobs for their learning potential, not their earning potential for the first years. This will pay off later.

2.be willing to change jobs if you don't have a clear chance of promotion inside.

3.be a likable person. Have a coffee with your colleagues, make small chat with your boss, ask about their lives, remember their families' names... In office politics it doesn't matter how good you are as much as how much people like you.

4.be your own advertiser. Probably no other person will be. Make sure that when you have a success everybody knows it was yours and what you did.

5.be willing to do more than your job's description, but don't be a pushover. Ask for compensation or recognition every time you do something beyond your duties.