This is a great post. The only thing I would add is to learn to code at some level. I remember a few years ago, I was at a large corporation and we had a large

This is a great post. The only thing I would add is to learn to code at some level. I remember a few years ago, I was at a large corporation and we had a large team of developers and designers. Things were REALLY bad, and people were leaving in droves. I had several friends who were designers and they were depressed because they had been interviewing and every single company wanted them to know how to code and understand how code affects design. My two friends were rockstar designers (both had won Webby Awards for their designs) and felt like there was no way out for them. They were stuck at a bad company because companies were now looking for more hybrid designers. It's great to know everything you pointed out, but knowing how to code will give you a leg up on other designers.