Welcome to adulthood!
I had fun working in my first 5 years, then it went stale and the 'slightly ugly parts' became more obvious. My drive was gone and when I did extra good work to move ahead, I was pushed aside for being overtaken by a true boss candidate: A 1 year-young employee who was brainless, spineless, so ideal to be my boss's pushover clone. She was trained and got paid less then I was from my first day onward. She worked 2 years as a mini-boss clone, and then her wage was raised up...to match mine. It was a joke and a scam. She left the firm, and who does the work for the bosses again? Me. And since I am a strong person, with a very tough spine, I have zero chance to be promoted anywhere forward. My sin is, that I am not a pushover, and has ideals, that doesn't make me a mindless slave.

For a person to be okay with work and see growth, a workplace should be changed 5 year-ish, I think. I did so 3 times in this firm I am working, and each location change came with bigger salary and more authority. Sadly, my last 10 years are in the same place, and I am looking still for my next jump, where my wage will skyrocket and I can really call myself also a boss with persons under my own control...In a firm where women bosses to men are 1:75 ratio. I have it tough too.

My only advice is, to work and collect funds, and plan your change when you aren't comfortable with your current situation. I wish you much luck, when you decide to do it and make sure that you win big while doing it!

I'm sorry to hear that. I kinda find myself in the same boat. I finished college last year and instead of being a lab tech I'm currently working in a warehouse. While the pay is as good as an entry level lab tech, the hours demand that I live close to the light rail transit lines as I get off work at nearly midnight. And since I live downtown, it kinda puts my safety at risk. In fact, I was assaulted last week with bear spray by some young punk. Stuff happening in my city is rare, but still my job tends to put me at greater risk of that happening to me.

If things ain't broke don't fix them. I would only change if the change would improve what you have now drastically. Perhaps it's life outside of work that can be improved upon?