I let what I realized change me before I had understood the whole issue (or at least more of the issue).

I still don't see where you're getting the "ought" from the "is". The Way doesn't contain the commandment "If you ever figure out school is bullshit, stop trying!" Information didn't make that decision, you did.

I see the outline of a moral here, I think I'm just disagreeing with the way you're presenting it. Perhaps it's something like "don't make high-impact decisions when your worldview is still in flux". From a disheartened perspective, the question "why try?" feels rhetorical, like a conclusive statement of futility. Nonetheless, it's not rhetorical, and it does (often) have a reasonable answer, if your emotions don't prevent you from asking it honestly.

I certainly empathize with your situation. I never really recovered the motivation I had for school prior to academic disillusionment. Understanding that it's a necessary means to an end doesn't necessarily make it exciting again.