I've worked in the business long enough (going on 12 years) to have seen many different types. I've worked at software companies, government and commercial systems integrators, small startups, and fortune 500 firms.
One thing I know is that you need to listen to the voice inside of you that tells you what excites you about computer science. Don't define your skill set by whatever is needed to fulfill the requirements of your job.
Systems are cheap enough. Software is free. Books are worth buying if they give you an experts guide to how to approach a new topic. Look at the job you would want to hold 3 or 4 years from where you are. Are you getting the experience you need on the job to qualify you in that time for that job? If the answer is no, make up some projects for yourself that would force you to fulfill those requirements on your own. I don't know how many times I've picked up how to use something like perl for example and later on it came in handy at work and helped me differeniate myself from others around me.
True geeks immerse themselves in coding. They love it. They can smell those who try to get ahead on something other than love for coding (i.e. political maneuvering). They don't respect people not willing and able to get their hands dirty and build something. I've seen people who won't buy a book on their own unless the company pays for it. The company will not always be there for you. You need to develop yourself. Follow what interests you because that makes things easier.
When you choose not to do this, you stifle your imagination. Your imagination is like a muscle. It expands when you use it. It atrophes when you leave it stagnant. If you go by the Dungeons and Dragons metaphor, if you want to be a "high level" programmer, you need to gain experience points. In D&D, you gain a lot of experience points by being a part of major campaigns. However, you can also gain experience points by doing little tasks. Every point counts when you are shooting towards the next level.
Use your imagination to build a story of who you want to become professionally and work to make it happen.
