As more people have joined it has become harder to get noticed and I suspect the whales are also very limited in their time so it becomes less likely to get a big payout even if your posts do get better due to simple practicality.
The good news is that eventually it won't matter. As STEEM distribution increases and greater numbers join those who have persevered and built up a following will start to earn more. It may not be enough for anyone to quit their jobs but that is unlikely anyway even now - only a few people have made huge amounts of money.
People should join because of the community and the ability to get rewarded rather than expecting to get rich. I think as people start to understand the platform more this will start to happen.
For me the best thing here is the community. It is so much nicer and less trolling than say Reddit or even Facebook.
I agree with you about this community being better than reddit and facebook. There's no question about it at all! :) - About the whales. I think you are on point there too. They seem to be limited and they vote as much as they can, even new users are being upvoted regularly and that's awesome to see! :)