I'm not the ambitious type, so I haven't tried to advance my career exactly, but here are things I've done that have improved my work quality-of-life:
- Building up FU money, so I can easily leave jobs that are problematic. FU money also makes you less stressed, which improves your attitude and the quality of your work.
- Carving out an unusual niche for myself, so my skill set is in demand.
- Asking for raises, even though it's stressful and scary. (Having FU money also helps bolster confidence for this.)
- Doing damned good work, autonomously, so my managers and colleagues know they can depend on me.
- Doing a lot of freelance work, a few months here, a few months there, so I could get away from bad jobs without looking bad: oops, contract's up, so sad, buh-bye now. (Yeah, I've had some really bad jobs.) This also makes it easier to ask for more money, since sometimes the best way to get a raise is to leave for a new company.
- Jumping on appealing job opportunities hard, networking to get my resume on the right desk. This has led to more than one really plum gig, which has beefed up my resume, which makes me a more attractive candidate for future gigs. I mean, dude, I've worked at 343, Epic Games, and Valve. Having a high-visibility job history on LinkedIn gets you noticed, which puts you in a good bargaining position.
Good luck.