Be careful now. Yes Steemit pays but only if you are a whale. The system is currently broken as payouts are directly linked to STEEM power and bid bots. It takes significant resources to get decent payout. The only people with those resources are rich people and early adopters. We are neither.
High quality posts do not get read because people with money are buying their way to the top of trending page and getting higher payouts due to their high STEEM power. The economy is a joke.