I'm not going to overly comment on the whole degree "requirement" for officers (as it would be improper to comment on official policy, and would never do that in here :
) other than to say that two of the best leaders I have ever had the privilege of serving with did not have degrees. They both have one now, but
only did so because they wanted to progress past Capt (both now Maj, one had better be commanding an Inf Bn in the relatively near future).
They were excellent leaders looong before they got degrees and getting a degree will not change that.
Yes, I am working on my degree now, but not because I want one. I want the Queen's Commission, so I can sort some sh!t out. The degree, to me, is secondary. Oh, and if anyone is wondering, I'm not taking one of the "useful" degrees so I can port out directly to the civy world (Military and Strategic Studies). When I retire, I'm going to bloody retire, not work for some flat-face company.
In a couple of years when I get to return to the real world from our little peninsula, I will have people working with me, both above and below in the food chain, with more TI, more education, less TI, almost no education and all the combos in between. Most will be good at what they do (a few will not be). I came into the CF with 2 diplomas, both of which came in handy, but not directly (electronics Technologist and Level 1 Cartographer) trade related. They certainly did not make me better at my trade (any Veh Tech that has worked with me over the years can tell you that).
If you have a degree, and CFRG recognizes it as applicable to the officer trades, then your employment options just happen to be wide open. My advice, pick the trade (NCM or Officer) that most appeals to you. If your background helps out, even better (I can read maps and navigate like you wouldn't believe, which is a skill far too many are lacking. Stupid GPS). And like was mentioned earlier; if, after a few years, you no longer want to do that particular job any longer, well that's why we have OT's and commissioning plans.