Go to your employer and ask for $LARGE_AMOUNT per year pay. Make $LARGE_AMOUNT be something in the range of 2x what you think someone doing your current job is

Go to your employer and ask for $LARGE_AMOUNT per year pay. Make $LARGE_AMOUNT be something in the range of 2x what you think someone doing your current job is worth. But, when you ask for $LARGE_AMOUNT, you do it by asking, "What can I do for you that's worth $LARGE_AMOUNT per year to you?" If your employer says, "Nothing." Well, then time to find someone else to ask that question to. If they counter with money but don't tell you what they want in return, that could be a good thing (you'll get paid more to do the same thing). Hopefully, a good employer will think about it and counter with some things you could do that would make you worth values near your $LARGE_VALUE and that would provide you with learning / skills / whatever that improves your career. It's never a _bad_ time to ask. And if they don't give a good answer, it's never a _bad_ time to leave. Ethics doesn't play here, employment contracts do and most say "at will."