On the topic of college radio, not every college is equal in terms of the skills you acquire. Many colleges don't even have a radio station anymore, and there is a significant amount of variation between the college radio stations that remain. I'd argue that KCWU at Central Washington University is one of the better student facilities out there, as they have received numerous awards over the years, and provide student volunteers with high quality equipment. Obviously, KCWU is a teaching tool and you really can't compare it to a commercial radio station, but it does seem like students who pass through the KCWU studio are equipped for professional radio jobs after finishing their education. On the other hand, there are other college stations out there that have no consistency, and aren't preparing anyone to work in radio.
It probably goes without saying that nobody volunteering at a student radio station should ever feel compelled to make radio their professional career. There is something to be said for having fun without adhering to strict programming guidelines. With that being said, KCWU has probably been so successful because they treat their radio station as a legitimate teaching tool. Compare this to a college station I volunteered with at one point where we played CD's all day with no automation, and logged every song individually on a computer to keep up with the web stream.
As someone who worked for KCWU, I can affirm this. The environment inside the station is very inclusive and friendly, and almost everyone seems to be close with each other. Most of the friends I made in college (especially during the first couple years) were co-workers. It is also inclusive toward students who aren't aiming for a broadcasting or journalism degree - in fact, most of the students involved are not journalism majors at all. While most participants are volunteers, some people can get paid positions, such as social media manager, graphics designers (and they've hired some REALLY good graphic designers), trainers, production manager, and more. I had a paid position prior to the pandemic operating the board during basketball games.
KCWU is successful because they are very engaging with the student population. They have a very active presence on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat - I wouldn't be surprised if they had a presence on TikTok either, their playlist consists mainly of CHR, with occasional EDM or rap, and the DJs tend to be in sync with the general student population. Underwriting are all local and target CWU students. Occasionally, the station will be present at on and off-campus events across Ellensburg, and the training student volunteers go through to play at these events is pretty feasible. Contests and promotions occur occasionally, and the station has gotten a hold of tickets to some pretty good events for giveaways.
Their studios do contain state of the art equipment, and since the pandemic, they've installed equipment that allows for remote operations by students. Shows can be done from home using CWU's very secure VPN network, as can board operation during sports coverage. Oh, and their sports coverage is done by some very passionate people.
While KCWU is an open environment for anyone, it can become a launching point for those who are truly passionate about radio. I know plenty of people from that station who are now working in Seattle, Portland, and other markets. The manager and engineer both have connections to lots of different radio stations/companies across the Northwest and they participate in NAB events.