That was a very informative and interesting read. If I may add a point, I don't believe Steem was ever developed to substitute a full-time job, so thinking it as such will probably be a grave mistake. I think the earning part of Steem is more of an incentive and not the prime focus of using the site. There are many other methods (like affiliate marketing) where one can have much higher $/hr compared to the top writers of Steem. So, it is better to take the platform as what it is, a social media that incentivizes quality discussions.