IMO, a better question would be "How do set myself up for my ideal working situation in 5 - 10 years". I agree with a lot of things said in this thread, but my

IMO, a better question would be "How do set myself up for my ideal working situation in 5 - 10 years". I agree with a lot of things said in this thread, but my suggestion would be to focus on building relationships and seek out great people to work with. In 10 years, you'll have engineering experience AND be surrounded by talented, like-minded people. One caveat is, you have to be great yourself, because great people don't want to work with mediocre people. So really dig into whatever you're working on, try to impress yourself and try to have fun. +1 for dirtyaura's "Learn to Ship" comment.