Another thing to think about that so few do, especially when they are young and "bulletproof", is the inability to get a medical. All of us are just one medical exam away from flying a desk. I know people who cannot obtain a 1st class, and therefore will never be a CA. I know people who lose their medical totally, and can never fly again. And THAT is why the degree is so important. Sure, it helps with the airline career, but what will you do after you fall off a ladder while painting your mom's house, or that shell casing ejects improperly and burns your eyeball, or you slip and fall getting in the shower, and your arm is damaged beyond fly able repair?

So many people are caught up in that trap that need not be, if only they had prepared better. You CAN afford a degree; just do it one or two classes as a time, start yesterday, and work on it until you get it done. It may seem today as if it does not matter, but trust us when we tell you that it can matter a whole heap-ton more than you think.