I fully agree with what you are saying here. When I first got started I also was under the impression that cash will come quickly. Even though the content shared was my own and I'd like to believe that it was valuable, but the results from my efforts were saying the opposite.
Unfortunately this is what discourages a lot of Steemians. But as you said, with time you learn and "find" yourself. You create better content, be more consistent, and more efficient. The important thing really is to keep at it. Never give up. It starts out slowly but over time the results pay off