I'm going to chime in here. Not to comment on your life situation, but rather on how businesses are run and where their money goes. Too often I see people complaining that they get paid 'x' dollars while their company is making '2 to 3x' off of their billed time. What gives? Shouldn't the employer be able to pay the employee more because of this? Are companies being greedy and bathing in the money you earned them while laughing and eating caviar? Probably not.
Ever heard of payroll taxes? Pretty much employers have to have the equivalent of ½ of what YOU pay for your social security and medicare tax, and in some states they also are required to pay additional money for your income tax (state, city, county). Depends on where you live.
It adds up.
Then we get into benefits. Does your company have insurance benefits for their employees? Insurance for employees, even if it’s only partially covered, bends a company over and not-so-gently rapes them in the keester. There’s more money subtracted from the bottom line.
Overhead costs, general and administrative costs, combined with anything else the company does for you (i.e. paying off your medical debt, pretty nice and extremely rare, BTW), and we’ve reached a pretty substantial cost the company needs to be able to pay for, in addition to paying your salary.
Again, it adds up.
Sure, the company founder is probably getting paid a hefty amount more than you are, but why shouldn’t he? It’s his fucking company. He took the risk to start it – not you. He should be compensated more than his underlings.
Just my two pennies. Wanted to comment from the business side of things.