I totally understand where you are coming from. I’ve waited two weeks for a draft to be published and it near killed me as I’m impatient but then again the article I wrote was in response to a monthly prompt and I wanted it submitted to that particular pub.
I wrote for many pubs and I prefer to publish in pubs than self publish. One of the main reasons is because many of the pubs I write for have amazing and supportive communities.
Another reason is the editors I have worked with have been so wonderful working with me on pieces that needed polishing and it’s made me a better writer. As a result I’ve been boosted 16 times in the last 10 months.
I suppose you have to decide if you just want to write and publish or if you want to learn, improve and be mentored as many editors do with their writers. If not it’s totally fine to publish without publications.