Degree or NO Degree?
That will always be a question with no direct answer from any employer. I actually took a break from flying to finished my degree, but I didn't do it for the airlines, I did it for my own ego and self esteem! I remember being told by an HR personnel once that the degree requirement was the only way to trim the resume file to just a handful of applicants. Basically its supply and demand; if they're hiring 100 pilots with 10000 applications on file, you can't expect the airlines to physically screen all of those resumes. But if its the other way around, they will basically accept anyone, regardless.