You can't really make a list that some beginner can follow to become a 500/1k player.

I'm not really going to continue with the starting hands/position discussion because you're really right; position is more important as you move up in levels. But I believe that the most important thing for a beginner is to build a bankroll and move up stakes, and I believe starting hand charts is enough to achieve this.

More points for the list:
* Hand reading
* Reads on opponents
* Adaptability (is this even a word? )