It's unfortunate, but your friend simply won't be competitive without the degree. It's something like the 100hr ME requirement to get that first regional job. It's way more than is actually necessary to become a competent FO, and holds a lot of good people back, but it's used to narrow down the applicant pool.
Same reason doctors and lawyers have to get a degree before starting med school or law school. The degree doesn't do much for them once they get to med/law school, it's just used to limit the applicant pool.