I am writing this cause I always hear:-
"...you have a great job working on PC games and get to be creative and draw pictures for a living..."

Computer graphics [CG] is becoming a very glamorized/desirable field.
This is mainly due to the wave of CG effects in movies & TV.
Also the computers have come down in prices and are powerful enough to handle graphics programs.

This in some ways is a blessing as well as a problem.
Now a day everyone has used some kind of desktop publishing program
to make birthday-greeting cards-banners, brochures... to express your creativity.
But this, a good designer does not necessary make.
Another way to look at it is; just because I am using MS Word to write this, does not make me a writer.

If you think you want to be a Designer, always:-
Be observant of people, places, and things.
Never stop drawing/sketching things that you see or things that you see in your mind's eye.
Be observant of nature's designs: Trees, leaves, flowers, rocks, sunsets, sunrises...
the same goes for man-made things.
Constantly note the various textures and the way things are lit and how the shadows are casting.
This is especially true if you want to do 3D graphics/animations.
If you can't or don't like to do the above, then chose another career.
Because its what you will be doing constantly in the CG field.

A base education is a must. Creating graphics is not purely artistic.
On a lot of projects, it can get very technical. We constantly have to decide
which file format will be best suite for the medium.
Converting from one file format to another, choosing vector vs. bit-map.

You got to learn how to:-
Communicate both in writing & verbally with clients and team members.
Comprehension of what the client is thinking in their head.
Organizational skill is also very important.
Research skills, on a lot of projects you have to do some research and learn about the product/process that you are trying to depict graphically.
Teamwork, getting along and working as a team.

There are also a few myths about CG:-
1) The computer does all the work.
False: The computer is just a tool, it's the person using the tool to make great designs.

2) The computer makes the graphics quicker-easier.
False: Once again the computer does not make the graphics it's the Designer.
Some things can be done quicker, but
a lot of the initial work starts from sketches and revisions, lots of revisions.

3) In CG you get to express your creativity.
Not all the time: 90% of the time you will be doing projects for clients.
If he/she says to make the sky puke yellow then that's what you will be doing.
Unless you are working on your own project, you will be constantly just making graphics that the client wants.

4) I can learn graphics faster by skipping college & taking a 6-9 month course.
False: Let me repeat FALSE. Nothing beats a base education that a college/university offers.
You got to be very careful a lot of people want your hard-earned money and will do and say anything to get it.
I would  take a course that is more a design-art class, taught by an Instructor who has a degree in the visual arts.
Because a lot of classes just teach you how to use the program not the basic design principles you need to create actual graphic designs.
I would always ask to get a list of students who have taken the course and call them up and ask about the course.
In stead of paying the thousands of buck for such a short course that is just going to show me what the menus do, I would rather buy myself a nice computer and software and do the tutorials. There are a ton of books on PhotoShop and 3D Studio Max @ book stores like Barnes&Nobles.