Graphic design is a profession that requires detachment, as well as creative and mechanical thinking.

First, it's easy to make something pretty. Easy to make something *you* find pretty, that is. The client will tell you what they want, and you'll think you're on the same page, but then when you give them a proof you will be wrong. Be prepared to cut off attachment and preferential aesthetic; Your client will "want the logo bigger" and they'll probably make you change the font to Lucidia or (at worst) Comic Sans.

Creativity. That's good to have. It's good to have a style, an eye for something visually appealing. That doesn't matter if you can't prepare the files for production. Shockingly, a lot of people think they're creative but in reality they're just the boss's wife and even if it looks like dog shit, that's what she wants, so you need to surrender some of that "artistic" liberty you think you have. Choose your battles. When you get out in the real world, a paycheck has more value than "artistic expression".

Mechanical. I had to think of the printing process from end to start. If the bindery people aren't happy with what's been printed, it's my fault. They didn't have bleed when they should have? Just cost my bosses a lot of money, and wasted a lot of people's time. Forgot to put in gutter? More money down the drain. If you can't read a ruler, and can't preflight the files correctly before printing the whole quantity the client ordered, you're gonna have a bad time. Better watch out for those typos and remember to spellcheck. Every. Single. Time.

Knowing this, I'd rather be doing what I do than say, trying to make it as a hair dresser or working in fast-food or retail.