I can't comment on the Netherlands but for the US, just continue to do great work and continue to develop your skills and whenever possible participate in thing

I can't comment on the Netherlands but for the US, just continue to do great work and continue to develop your skills and whenever possible participate in things public, that is, present/speak at conferences and other events, participate in or serve as a judge at hackathons and other competitions (such as Kaggle for example), write articles, and participate in open source communities and initiatives.