Make sure that your skillsets are inline with company's bigger goals and that you are not a dispensible side function.
Do not take up a job without knowing which team you will be assigned.
Stop-gap jobs can help you pay bills but network well without burning bridges to get a better job.
Help others once you get a job & generate goodwill. It is not only the right thing to do spiritually but will help you in tough times.
Thank you Captain Obvious
Yes. Work for a smart person with integrity, do good work for them with integrity, and show integrity toward the people you work with and who work for you. Everything else will sort itself out. Also, accept your limitations. We all have them. We could sacrifice our integrity or our personal lives or our sanity to push beyond those limitations, but we must question for what gain. I followed this path in graduate school and in work. I had fun, I was challenged and I was success by many people's measures. I believe I helped projects get started and get completed. I believe I helped people rightfully advance in their carriers. I believe we did it with integrity.