Ask HN: Personal branding while working in tech

Hi All! I'm interested in understanding what is the general perspective of indicators that helps you mentally attach an "expert" label to a person.

I work in the technology space, specifically NLP and search, and would like to put more conscious effort in building skills/reputation that would help me attract consultancy/teaching gigs in the near future (2-4 years).

Things that come to my mind: 1. Popular personal blog 2. Open source contributions 3. Working at a FAANG company (don't want to switch jobs just for this reason) 4. Masters degree from a reputed school (Stanford?. Not sure if it's worth it)

Any help/thoughts would be really appreciated!