Get a liberal arts background. Become a thinker. There are lots of technophiles and specialists out there, and technical skills are important, but one can learn to push the right buttons in no time. It's learning the right time to push those buttons that takes years. Develop great 2D and 3D design skills.
Most animation is a complex combination of reasonably fundamental artistic skills.
Learn how to write, act, draw, sculpt, paint, dance, observe. Study photography, anatomy, theater, art history, math, science, mechanical engineering. Develop people skills, business skills, communication skills, negotiating graphics skills, computer skills, and electrical skills. Everything on Earth can become pertinent as animation, particularly clay animation, involves all of the disciplines of live action with the additional complexities of miniaturized sets, lighting, and camerawork. Amy Souza lives and writes in Burlington, Vermont.