Agree that you need to treat writing as a profession. That's certainly what I've done (along with a lot of editing as you've done).

I just think that the evidence suggests that it will be harder for future generations to make a living you did. It maybe even harder for writers in the next decade for all kinds of reasons: the rise of AI, the general devaluation of expertise in our society, etc. I wish it weren't true, though, so I hope you're right.