Sylvilagus,
I have a close friend who could be described very similarly to you. Graduated with a degree in whatever you majored in during the mid 80's to become a programmer, he's never worked as an "employee" of a company for any length of time. He's tops in what he does, knows system architecture, and tons of other stuff I can't even pronounce. Has made a 6- figure income for 2 decades now.
My real skills are languages, literature, writing and such. Yet when I graduated with a Journalism degree, I found I HATED daily/weekly deadlines associated with working for a rag newspaper or periodical. I flailed around in low-paying sales and cust. svc. jobs for a decade while trying to figure out how to apply my natural talents and adaptive intelligence to making a living; sort of backed-in to IT user support stuff 7 years ago, and have stayed, because you can make a living with it.
I would be willing to consider Moose Snot, Vermont or the like, for a decent income (which, straight-up at this point, I'd consider mid-50's or better), as long as it also included living AWAY from all things urban-- traffic, noise, pollution, crime, waiting in line. I'd give just about anything to be in a stable, internal user support help desk position with an organization (can be company, non-profit, .gov, or whatever) that cares enough about its people that if you show up, handle your daily responsibilities with competence, and contribute to their success, then it's a win-win.
To return this thread on-topic, I think BozemanMT had it right. When they ask how much you're making, tell 'em how much you WANT. Another friend of mine has progressed slowly but consistently by always adding $3 to 5k to what she is making and quoting that as an answer to that question. She has gotten at least that or more each time she has changed companies, despite continuing in the same job responsibilities.
