I began to think this would be a waste of time with everything I learned because almost all the projects I had followed ended in scammers. Is this a waste of time for me? 
It seems that you have been unlucky in choosing good projects to work with them. I also experienced quite a lot of bad projects and they didn't pay me token.But we must not give up. If you do not have knowledge of project analysis, you should join a team that can guide you better. Do not work alone, you will encounter many difficulties.