In the current hiring environment, this is pretty much yes, you will need a degree. Will you need one in 4 years? The magic 8 ball says ask again later. The people that are already hired that don’t have a degree just have to pray that they are high enough on the totem pole that they won’t get furloughed should that happen.

Now to address your previous questions (TLDR: if you are wanting to be a pilot just to smash flight attendants and make money, find a different career)

Sleeping with FAs on layovers: this is the equivalent of taking a bath with a toaster. Do not do it. All that she has to do is tell HR that you did something against her will (doesn’t have to be true) and if there is a video of the two of you going in to the same room, you’re toast, your union is unlikely to help. Just don’t do it.

Working abroad: why? Yeah you could be a first officer in an A320 at 250 hours, but it’s very complex if you are not a citizen of the country that you are trying to work in. 1. You need the appropriate work permit to get hired. 2. There are fewer work rules, and in the event of a downturn in flying, you are the first to go. 3. The quality of life and pay that U.S pilots have is very good, so good in fact that there are a fair number of pilots from outside of the U.S who will try a number of things to get hired by a sleezy cargo operator (for instance: in a bar one night I found out that I, a year 1 FO at a less than desirable cargo operation made more than an A330 captain at a german low cost carrier).

As far as a GED goes, it’s on par with a high school diploma.

Funding pilot training: get a job, save money, and find a school that allows you to pay as you go, try to minimize the amount of debt you take out (especially credit cards, DO NOT FUND YOUR TRAINING WITH CREDIT CARDS)