SEO Skillset

I’ve come to realize over the past little while, that while I understand a few things about how SEO works, I’m lacking a lot (translation: virtually all) of the skills that I need to make things happen. So in my spare time, I’ve been trying to learn as much as possible, but it’s become a frustrating experience. I feel like I’m just flailing around without any clear purpose. So, after stewing over this for a few days, I’ve decided to consult my betters. I’ve posted some questions on a few forums I read, and I’ve contacted some of the SEOs I respect the most with the following question:

What skills are the most important to SEO? Programming, and if so, which language? Or design using CSS? Or another skill I haven’t even thought of yet? And in what order should I learn these skills?

Anyway, if you have any ideas about this topic, feel free to comment on this post. I’m completely open to ideas. And for the sake of posterity, I’ll post my findings on this blog.