It's absolutely right that no one will look out for your career other than you, because it's no one else's job to help you advance. It's completely politics - not that it has to be cut-throat, but you have to own your own work destiny.
Of course, not wanting to advance is fine. Many of the techies-turned-managers I've worked for hated the advancement because it removed them from the actual tech. A few even made "lateral" moves to get back to the tech. Likewise, many of the engineers I've worked with are perfectly happy writing code, and just want a merit increase annually.
Someone once told me "dress for the job you want, not the one you have." It's basically that. If you want a better job, do your current job better. It will get noticed, and that's how you advance.