Hedging vs One-Way Trading

This one's not for newbies, but more for those who've been in the game for at least a year. When I started trading, I tried hedging but it totally ruined my experience. I ended up paying a ton in fees and still lost money. Eventually, I figured out that just closing the trade and taking a breather was way better, which helped me ditch the hedge mode. I still have it set to hedge mode, but honestly, I'm trading like it's one-way. So, does hedge mode even need to exist, or is it just a way for exchanges to rake in more cash? For those who've been trading for over a year, are you still hedging your positions? I find it hard to believe anyone with that much experience would still open a position in the opposite direction just to minimize losses. Closing out is definitely the smarter move.