Oh my god...that first point...
At my school, we're using the latest software for our work and we are in the process of getting a Cintiq lab for animation students (but it's free to use for other departments as well). That's probably the best thing about going to an art school - you have access to these programs and you're free to use them whenever you want. The laptop I am using now is not capable of running programs like Premiere and After Effects and I can only do so much in Photoshop and Maya before my laptop begs me to shut down the programs. At school, I can run all of these programs at one time and it makes multitasking easier.
My teachers also worked/are working in the industry and know a lot about how the industry works. And one of my teachers is even offering my animation 3 class to work on a professional project so we can put on his resume, demo reel, and portfolio. That's a big deal. That's a really big deal. I would rather have that in my portfolio than that Growing Around pet project.
MrEnter has no idea what he's talking about and he does not deserve to be in the industry, lol.
And yes, I will enjoy my college education and my debt, because in the end, I know it's worth it. :^) Have fun crying about Spongebob, haha.