* Get a post-graduate (Masters) degree - either MS or MBA, within the first four years of employment. * Work hard and earn/learn as much as you can in the firs

* Get a post-graduate (Masters) degree - either MS or MBA, within the first four years of employment. * Work hard and earn/learn as much as you can in the first 10 years of job. Volunteer for code reviews, take up jobs outside your comfort zone, build a solid network of peers. IMO, what is learnt in the first 10 years is gonna stick with you for the rest of your career, so be a sponge and absorb as much as you can in this time !