Change fees vs SDC

I feel Change Fees are a bigger pain that SDC. Every time I have a schedule change at work, I have to fork out $200-$300 plus fare difference or just throw away the ticket. Even after the change fees, you need to settle for less than ideal times since the other flights are very expensive. SDC is not assured so is Standby at the gate. With United flying more RJs out of DEN, I can say from experience SDC does not work all the time.

Whereas with no change fees, I can shuffle to my hearts content as things shape up.