Careers don't grow anywhere and they're not handed out like mittens or cupcakes.

Careers don't grow anywhere and they're not handed out like mittens or cupcakes.
Careers are made by each of us. Forged in the flame of your passion to do something interesting and meaningful with your days.
That's why it annoys me when big brand companies call their job section "Careers."

"You get a decent career by taking risks and pursuing challenges. Going with the flow gives you a mediocre career – and who wants that?"
- Danilo Campos

This idea is simply not stressed enough. No one can hand you your career on a silver platter such that all you need to do is pick it up and enjoy it. The only thing you can be offered is a job; it is your responsibility to make sure that a job leads to a career that you can not only be proud of, but leaves you feeling rewarded and satisfied.
This means you need to have a plan that is concrete and actionable, not simply a dream. You have to set large goals, broken down into smaller ones with a timeframe attached to each piece, in case you get caught up in between and lose sight of your priorities. Without careful planning we become firefighters trying to put out every small emergency, without creating a strong plan for our futures.

So don't go with the flow! Stop! Evaluate! Just like the unexamined life is not worth living, the unexamined career is not worth having.