19. Keep Your Nose Clean (Not Brown)
Kissing up to the boss doesn’t work over the long haul, Drewry says. “Sooner or later the kiss-up becomes annoying to that person, especially once they notice they’re not getting anything from that employee but kissing up.”

On the other hand, Drewry emphasizes the importance of managing up. “That means understanding what your boss wants, his strengths and weaknesses, his hot buttons, and then educating him as to what you can do to further the company’s goals.”

Internal politics always plays a role in who gets promoted, and pretending to be above the fray isn’t an effective strategy, Spherion’s Courtney says.

“In general, IT people take pride in being countercultural, but that’s not the way to get ahead in the business community,” Courtney says. “If two people are equally qualified, I’ll take the one with the political astuteness to manage inside a corporate culture. The more polished a person, the business acumen they posses, the more likely they are to get promoted. You can call it being political, or you can look at it as being a student of corporate culture.”

When push comes to shove, however, go with your gut, says David Zink, client executive at outsourcing consultants EquaTerra, and former CIO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

“I have the personal policy of doing what is right, not of doing what seems politically right,” Zink says. “This policy has made me a standout and gotten me promoted; it has also gotten me in hot water. It takes courage to stand up to your peers or even your boss, but it makes it easy to look at yourself in the mirror. And when the politics change and the right thing was done from the start, you are a hero.”

20. Consider a Switch -- for the Right Reasons
If you’re stuck in a place where IT is just there to keep the lights on, or there’s no opportunity to learn something new, it may be time to seek out a new opportunity or an industry where IT is viewed more strategically, such as financial services or telecommunications.

IT pros in dead-end positions should also consider relocating or accepting contract work, says Matt Colarusso, branch manager of national recruiting at Sapphire. Colarusso says a former colleague at a Florida high-tech company found success by exploring short-term gigs after he was laid off.

“He quickly discovered that even though the market was tight in his geographical area, there were other markets in the Southeast that had contract opportunities looking for candidates with his area of expertise,” Colarusso says, adding that the former colleague is now a senior administrator at a Fortune 250 company in North Carolina.

Although it’s fairly common for IT pros to move up by moving sideways -- from job to job and company to company -- it’s not always the best strategy, Spherion’s Courtney says.

“If you’re moving up in the organization, and you continue to get opportunities to expand your skill set, work on different projects, and get raises, you’re better off staying with the organization that knows you,” Courtney says. “You’ll have more political capital internally than you would with a new firm.”

If the opportunity curve slows down, or if a particular technology interests you but isn’t a fit for your company, you may need to cross that bridge, Courtney adds. “Until then, stay where you are.”