Freshmen Interview for Character Designer

I'm a freshmen student who has to do a research project on the field that I hope to get into someday. If anyone could answer any or all of these questions I'd greatly appreciate it!

1. is the demand for character artist growing or is it a risky career?

2. how important is education (community vs. art/design degree, 2yr vs. 4 yr)?

3. how much traveling/moving is involved?

4. how do you get into character design? (work your way up? networking? etc.)

5. is it a very competive job field?

6. what advise could you give to someone who looks to enter the field someday?