Career Regression

And by regression... I mean worrying about both definitions...

Definition 1: Relapse to a less perfect or developed state
I'm starting to think that I will perpetually be a 1st year financial analyst. I'd like to think that I am a capable human being... however, the business world would like to disagree. Apparently, there is only one career path for all ambitious people - become an investment banking slave, then get an MBA, then become a VP... MD... master of the universe. Isn't there anything else I'm allowed to do in life? The gods are punishing me now for being indecisive... I will be starting over as a 1st year analyst every 2 years until I die... I'm like a Corporate Sisyphus.

Definition 2: The relationship between the mean value of a random variable and the corresponding values of one or more independent variables (basically predicting outcomes based on the little info that you have)
What factors would you say are significant variables for a career? Intelligence, communication skills, and personality? I have a feeling that the real answers are 1) impressive credentials on paper; 2) ability to schmooze and BS; and 3) attractiveness (particularly height for guys). It's not necessarily in that order. You can compensate for any deficiency in one area by being better in another. You can also substitute real smarts for some of the list, but it won't buy you as many points as you would expect. Given my current "skill set" and where that has gotten me... I have a bad feeling about where my career is regressing to...