If you're a good designer it will show in your work. You can tell the filter junkies out there and they easily get weeded out. I'm never in fear of being challenged as a designer because I know I'm good. It's going to take more than a 15 year old with a pirated copy of Photoshop the threaten me.
I also joined the Graphic Artist Guild about 4 years ago and they they hard to maintain a certain level of professionalism with all their members.
