> He was actually against taking classes before he was for taking
> classes.

I think that something is a waste if there is a better alternative.

If you lived 5 minutes walk from your work, but chose to walk some 
ridiculous route that took 20 minutes... the long route would be a waste 
of time. BUT, even if you demanded to walk the long route, I would still 
recommend that you do it (better than not turning up at work).