congrats on finding a job, especially in trying times like these (probably since 08 crisis).

imo, it really really really depends on the culture of the firm - to me this is extremely impt and i believe this makes a significant difference in shaping anyone's career/personal goals & development.

to share... my previous job was in a small local firm (approx. 30 employees). i didn't really looked up to most of my colleagues as even as a newcomer, i picked up things fast and generally know a lot more (about the work/industry) than any of them - office politics consists of the occasional attempts to run me down by attacking my logic on my work (which never works) and of course the behind-close-doors gossips (at least i'm pretty sure that happened).

i was unfazed by these - since i don't really answer to any of these ex-colleagues of mine and i treat their gossips as children talk. attempts to **** on my work failed because thankfully my ex-boss (the only person i answer to) understands my work/logic.

but i didnt think i would be able to tahan this kind of environment over the long run, so the environment/culture was largely why i left. now i'm in a much larger (global) firm, culture there is waaaay better and very conducive for learning.

but for the most part - you should anticipate the learning part of the job and be prepared to work very hard & stay late if need be, this helps in developing a positive work attitude which is very important in any workplace.