Benefits of a 75-300mm Lens

So I am using a Canon EOS Rebel T3 which I rented from the library at Rocky. It came with a 75-300mm lens which I never though I would want to use. Once I used it, I couldn't figure out what I loved about it so much other than the ability to zoom in. So I did a little digging and found out some interesting reviews of the lens. After looking at the lens I noticed it is a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. When looking at the review posted on The Digital Picture ( https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-75-300mm-f-4-5.6-III-USM-Lens-Review.aspx) I am unsure if I really want to use it anymore.

The review said it is cheap, lower sharpness, and you need a lot of light to obtain great handheld photos. I can say that I have noticed that once you zoom in to anything past 100mm, the sharpness does tend to go out of the window if you are attempting a hand held photo.  On the cheapness side of things, I guess it is a good thing that I baby the entire carrying case. I would be petrified to fork over $300 to replace the lens even if it isn't the best.  Luckily for me, my schedule typically only allows for me to shoot photos during the times of day with the most light. Yeah yeah, "get up earlier" they say, when work starts at 5am you don't have an option for that. Regardless, since I am a beginner I think it does what I ask it to do with the skills that I have and I can't complain a whole lot.