I’ve always said drawing is to a graphic designer what singing and dancing are to an actor. You’ll have more job opportunities with a larger skillset, but it’s not a requirement.
I’ve always been of the opinion a graphic designer should know how to draw. It teaches them to ‘see’ things like spatial relationships and hierarchy and composition and any number of other things. I guess you can learn that stuff by observation, but drawing ability really reinforces it.
For instance, B’s drawing skills are phenomenal. Plus he’s been in the industry longer than most new posters here have been alive. I’m not surprised when he says he goes direct to software. I wouldn’t recommend that for a beginner.
I disagree. Never been a requirement in any role I have taken in 25 years.
I suppose I was interpreting the discussion as whether or not drawing skills are an essential part of graphic design. My answer to that question is no because, other than sketching out ideas, great drawing ability isn’t really needed in graphic design jobs unless you’re also doubling as an illustrator.
On the other hand, drawing is a parallel skill where the abilities in one area transfer over and complement the other rather nicely.
As a rough analogy, is learning to speak Portuguese necessary to learn Spanish, or is learning the play a trumpet necessary to become a great French horn player? The answer to both questions is no. However. already speaking Spanish or Portuguese makes it easier to learn the other since the languages are closely related. Similarly, a trumpet player could probably learn to play the French horn easier than a drummer could because playing the two brass instruments share some things in common.
PrintDriver said it quite well, so I won’t attempt to say it differently.
I won’t disagree.
Graphic design for me, and has been for a very long time, more on the overall visual communication and composition, whereas illustrators can typically create detailed and intricate artwork.
Having strong drawing/illustrator skills can be an advantage for a graphic designer - but it’s not absolutely necessary. Yes being able to draw can be helpful for brainstorming and sketching out initial ideas before bringing them into digital form.
And I would always encourage a beginner to start with sketches, even if their drawing skills are not great - like mine - it is how I started. But I quickly realised I don’t have the ‘knack’ for it, and I learned to create ideas in different ways.
It’s been 25 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever needed to draw a single thing.
Yes, I used to do sketches, but stopped shortly after. As @Just-B says sometimes you can just visualise what you want with experience.
And I got that knack pretty quickly.
I think it’s important to focus on what you’re good at and recognise where you cannot succeed.
Any natural ability to draw on my part has gone undiscovered, and I expect that won’t change. It’s rare, but away from the computer, I’ll doodle out ideas and add rough diagrams to notes when it’s useful to do so, but I have no “drawing skills” to develop, preserve, or improve. Sitting at a computer, I never reach for a pencil. These days I make a living writing and illustrating technical materials, with my hands only ever touching keys and a trackball.
The first 25 years of my career (1967 to 1992) required major drawing skills, because everything was done by hand. Those who were the best at it got the best jobs. Those who couldn’t never had a chance. Just be thankful that you live in the computer age.
Above average, pretty good at sketching bad at everything else
Nothing specific tbh. I guess if drawing was a big part of my profession I’d have some kind of routine in place but I haven’t been drawing for a long time now. But, it used to me that I’d just be sitting one day and think, “huh. I wonder how you draw a camel” and would then take out my sketchbook and find a good tutorial on how to draw camels, follow along the first time, and then learn techniques which I could manipulate to suit my style
I wished I kept a collection of sketchbooks with all my sketches in it. I made some pretty awesome drawings over the years and they got progressively better. However, I’ve lost all of them while shifting houses and some other stuff. It would’ve been nice to look back and see how much my drawing skills had improved and matured over the years
I would say moderate because there is always room for improvement
I am always on the hunt for tutorials and reading about software updates to widen my knowledge
My subjects at university had nothing to do with art or design, so in hindsight i think I should have chosen a related subject 
One of the most important things you can do to improve your drawing skills is to practice regularly. Set aside time every day to draw, even if it’s just for a few minutes. The more you practice, the better you will become. That’s exactly what I maintain every single day. Moreover, I see drawing from real-life objects or people as a great way to improve your skills. It helps you understand form, perspective, and lighting in a more natural way. And you should try out different mediums that can help you discover new ways to express yourself through your art. You might find that a particular medium suits your style and helps you improve your skills. Another important thing is to stay inspired with sources of inspiration, whether it’s visiting museums or galleries, reading art books, or exploring new techniques and mediums.