Contrary to the above, I advise the opposite.
A degree isn't just about the money, it will give you the foundation to build upon and prove to prospective employers you have the ability to study and achieve results. It will serve as a backup for anything you chose later in life, be the flying or any other route you wish to peruse. In addition to this, university is usually a big wake up call for most, giving you not just the life experience, but also maturity needed to succeed in both employment and personal life.
What I would advise though is that you do consider your degree choice carefully. From the above you have named two completely different courses, both of which have different prospects. I would be interested to know your background, A-Levels and interest wise, but here is my opinion.
Let's start with Geography, you have stated you would like to move into a career as a financial advisor, this would mean further qualification post university (more fees, more study time). How would you manage this? Are you able to answer the "why didn't you do accounting / economics at university?" question?
Law - Similar to the above, a Law degree on its own right doesn't have too much weight, it's what you do post graduation will determine your path. How will you do your BAR? Requires a masters? (Again further fees). Assuming you succeed in achieving a placement with a Law company, your salary will not considerably climb until you have the experience, which may take 5 years. This is fine but as long as you're happy with this and appreciate everything can't happen at once. Unfortunately, Engineering "sort of" fits into this bracket as well, if you don't specialise sometimes you may get stuck.
In regards to flying, a degree will serve as a good backup and an income provider if things don't work out. You're correct in stating the modular route will save you considerable money. May I advise you to do your PPL first and then consider your options? If possible, fund this by working whilst at university / Uni Flying Squadron / Gliding club etc.
Post university jobs can be challenging for some, for me personally and my group of friends, most of us have been succesful and obtained graduate roles. These varied in salary but these were all above the minimum / average wage discussed above and ALWAYS provided much greater career potential. I have always found that anyone who has a good degree, good mixed experience with clubs / socialising etc will find a good graduate job. It's unfortunate the above post doesn't suggest that but some luck does come into it.
Graduate roles - This is where a good degree, good a-levels, even good GCSE's come into play. To get into the biggest companies you need to stand out, get involved in clubs, get involved in charity work, it's all vital experience and not something to turn your nose up at.
Finally, I fully advise chosing your degree carefully, make sure it's interesting for you and not just "What makes me the most money" - remember you're doing this for 3+ years! If it doesn't interest you now, don't think it will on that cold rainy January day when you have 15,000 words to write.
Just for info, my background:
Graduated - 2007 (Computer Science 2:1)
Grad Job - Nov 2008, accelerated quickly, travelled Europe visitng sites doing system implementation / project management
Moved into a major UK bank above graduate level (customer facing role)
Now - 2015, about to start a Project Manager job for one of the UK's biggest banks.
Yes my flying dream hasn't fully taken off, it never will for me (I can't justify the risk), but I will be working more towards my PPL and if things do fall into place, you never know.
P.S. I'm sure others will tell you, keep a look out for any tagged flying schemes, BA FPP will re-open in January (though be warned competition is tough) - bring your a-Game!
Good luck
Last edited by 4KBeta; 27th Jul 2015 at 13:27.