A degree is not needed to be able to fly even the largest or most high performance aircraft. A degree IS needed to get a job in the top tier of the industry. Since the only reason for this is to cut down on the number of applications HR must wade through, it is subject to change. An example is that during the hiring frenzy of the '80s, a degree wasn't always required.

To imply that a degree should be necessary to pilot an airplane is absurd and pretentious. To say that it is required to get a good job (for the most part) is reality.

Get a degree that allows you to write software on the side. Electrical / computer engineering or computer science.

You can write software anywhere... even India! Web mastering makes some money if you're lucky, but the real money is in the behind the scenes database stuff and hopefully won't get undercut by a 17 year old kid who can make prettier html sites than you.