Great overview of your journey. Mine is similar.
There are some headline Steemit posts that have made a fortune, the highest I can find is 46k but the reality for most users is that it can take a long time to build up a following, and get some sort of regular payouts. Most payouts to start can be tiny.
My advice for new users is to stick with it. You will grow and develop as a writer. For a initial boost do a great introduction post. Sometimes these get nice payouts.
Yes. That's very true. 46k is insane! Wow! But if this keeps going at this rate we will all be able to make a fortune in some years. I already did an introduction post, but it wasn't that good and I don't feel like doing another just to earn some money. I write about stuff that I care about and interest me :) That way I like my time on Steemit :)