I agree. I don't think YouTube is a lottery ticket. If you have a decent idea, understand how people in your niche consume content and are willing to put in the work then you can do alright. Having a meteoric rise might be lottery, but mostly it's recognizing what people want and knowing how to "market" it to them.

The hardest part is putting in the work. Being your own motivator and then working away at something is very difficult in the long run.

I'd also like to add that $10k a year in numerous countries is decent income.