First rule of design is to identify what you enjoy.
Also design has become very much about the theory of your target market, as to just creating something.
A casual overlook:
Interface Design < (Popular profession due to smart phone devices) Similar to graphic design, creating an interface for the user to be able to interact with. Ranging from casual apps, games, electronics, white goods etc.
Product Design/ Industrial Design < (My field) Create a Solution to a problem, though the use of critical design evaluation. You would typically need to be able to sketch hand and digital drawing, create models from hand, 3D models using Autodesk Inventor, Solidworks, Rhino 3d, Autodesk Mudbox, Zbrush, 3Ds Max, Maya, Adobe Suite.
Nothing is more satisfying in creating a product on a napkin and seeing 2 weeks later being printed on a 3D printer to present to a client.
Here are links to help you understand this field.
Hand drawing:
http://www.sketch-a-day.com/http://thingsthatwelearn.com/19074/Industrial-Design-Sketch-Tutorials Digital Drawing, Sketchbook Pro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrCXYb7hIfkhttp://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=245&lang=en (Graphical tablet)
Computer Design
http://students.autodesk.com/ (Since your a student, you can use there software for free!) Get some tutorials on Youtube.
3D Print
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QP73uTJApw 5 axis Cnc Machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWJAeEzqdc4 (Skip to 0:41)
Design community
http://www.core77.com/ (Your best friend!)
College > Product Design
Degree>
http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/H131/2012 Get the right mix>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOnCRWUsSGA (Become a world class product designer, who created the iphone, ipad, imac, ibog etc)
But if you don't enjoy an engineering approach, you can do a casual approach and become a lifestyle designer. A few names> Tom Dixon, Philippe Starck, Seymour Powell, Roberto Lazzeroni and Julian Brown.
A typical graduate (One who has finished uni) can expect to earn £22-£25 on their first job.