You have to be your own career manager. What is the best career advice you have been given?

The career advice i ever received was that exact advice. Had a NCO early in my career tell me to take charge of it. He specifically said, the Army provide you opportunities, its up to you to advantage of them.

One lasting piece of advice I received pertained to the decision of staying in vs. getting out. This is a personal decision that's unique to each service member. One of my mentors told me that this decision is less about YOU and more about the people you lead -- your subordinates. As their leader, you owe it to them to give 100% of yourself every day to the mission, to caring about them and their families, and to the unit in general. If you feel yourself getting to the point where you can only muster up 90% or 80% (you get the point) of yourself to this, then the right thing for you to do may be to get out, so that a new leader can fill your place and lead your Soldiers how they deserve to be led. The last thing Soldiers need is a leader who only gives a fraction of him/herself to them and the mission.