Meticulously structured design courses are valuable. Study them, learn them, but if you ever get overwhelmed (and you will), bear in mind that the real work environments are not that strict, you will have room to break the rules you learned, explore and make your own rules.

Treat every design project as an opportunity to improve and show your craft, creativity, attention to detail, not as a paycheck. Especially if you are a young designer.

We do not need to be in active communication with our heros (which would make them mentors), however we can follow their work, blog, Twitter, etc. to have an understanding of what they are up to, how they are approaching to certain situations and learn from them.

White spaces in design are not wasted spaces. They clean the environment around the important element and gives better, easier, direct focus