1. Get an English Lit degree
2. Decide you want to own a home someday
3. Learn to code
4. Get a job for a small company
5. "Somebody has to do design around here, and you seem the creative type"
6. Learn to design
It's cool being a "designer who codes" when you work for a small company that needs people who can do multiple things. Always lots to do, and you get a lot of control over how your design is implemented, since you're doing a lot of it.
When I started working for larger companies, they did not know what to do with me. I kind of had to pick a well-understood path so they could fit me into the org chart. I decided to go with design, as I got sick of learning a new way to manage state every two weeks.
The only superpower it gives me is being able to translate what engineers say. Even if I know how web apps are built, I don't know how ours is built at a level where I can start wading in to arguments about it. I wouldn't do that anyway, because it's presumptuous.
(As you know, the opposite is not true: any engineer, manager, executive, or other employee feels empowered to teach a designer how to do their job better, I've noticed.)
I like to code, but I'm happy I don't have to do it for a living anymore.