[OliverJones]

Make yourself a "hot" hire:

Learn SQL. Learn something about data mining. Those skills are rarer than many, and therefore in demand.

Look at your own company. Are there any particular specialties that your company needs? If so learn about them and start meeting that need. Similarly, look at software / IT help-wanted ads in your region, pick out the tech buzzwords, and learn enough to be qualified for more of those open positions.

Then look for a higher-paying job, and ask your current employer for some kind of promotion.

This will take some of your personal time. But if you already have a laptop and internet access it won't cost anything; many big software stacks have excellent community editions.