It’s expected that almost all men go to work. They learn to the point and don’t waste their time with mental gymnastics in the kollelim.
That is an unacceptable comment. It is an insult to the Torah and Bnei Torah worldwide.
It seems like you’ve [apparently] never had the opportunity to taste the sweetness of לימוד התורה בעיון. I pity you for that, and I wish you would have and hope that one day you will get the opportunity to experience for yourself the beauty of it.
Whatever the case is, you have no right to call לימוד התורה “wasting time”.