Of course it IS a waste of time - UNLESS you are going to use it somehow.

I do not necessarily mean working in Russia or making business with the Russians or going there as a tourist… Any hobby needs application. If you knit, you wear your sweaters or give them to (moderately) willing friends. If you sing, you go to the karaoke club and impress DJ there (or listeners - of lucky).

If you don’t use the language you learn - your interest will gradually subside and all the time and effort will come to nothing. (Maybe this is what your friends mean when they mention “waste”…)

If you think that Russian language is interesting (which is true!) and enjoy learning it - keep going, but add some practicality:

• find a penpal from Russia
• plan a trip there
• start a teaching career (too early? no! you can be a ‘native-English speaker’ tutoring Russian students online)
• discover Russian music or cinematography
• begin to learn Russian proverbs - and impress your friends as if you quoted Latin

Don’t give up just because your pals don’t understand. But support you ‘unpractical’ hobby with a practical application.