When I start to complain about education I usually stop myself and correct what I mean. Education always has value and doesn't suck at all. What does such is the schooling system including so called higher education (Universities). In most fields from what I have seen the main value of university is the degree. The certification. There is value as an employer and even as a customer of a provider of services to know that an organization or collective has vetted something in an area of expertise.

But simply having that piece of paper doesn't IMO mean someone is educated. Nor does not having that paper mean they are uneducated. In many fields certification is required. The modern education systems in the US at least are a mess.

That said, today is a golden age of learning and education. Never before in human history has there been more access to more knowledge. Much of it is free and if you do have some money you can get even higher quality content to study. That said just knowing things isn't enough for many fields. There needs to be some second outside entity to confirm a level of competence. That I think is where the biggest room for improvement lies.

Many of us went through years of what we might now think of as wasted money, time, and effort to get a degree. Its pretty common. The mistake most make is not counting the cost before hand. How much time and money is this going to cost me vs. what I will get at the end. I don't regret the path I took really. Sure, I was super frustrated with it at the time and even today but it was a few years and I paid off my debts. I could have took a different path but I'm not sure where that would have led me.

I recommend people do the math on the field they are entering. Does the math make sense? But even before that try to get some exposure to what the field is actually like. Try to connect with older people experienced in the field. Even just take them for a cup of coffee. I've done this for people interested in going into software several times. You may find out it is not for you. Or, you may realize that it is worth grinding through these stupid classes to check a box.