What's it all Worth?

I recently had my annual review. All in all it went pretty well. Very favorable for practically everything, until the money. I was shocked!

When I was hired, my company was struggling to wire almost everything. I thought I could learn the new machines and get things on track.

A year later, I program, set up, maintain, handle consumables. I also design, and in many cases build the necessary fixturing for production parts.

All modesty aside, the Wire EDM department runs without a second thought from anyone else. I oversee the production of two other shifts and regularly take phone calls after hours.

Obviously, just the cost of me getting to work in the morning has doubled.

Has the idea that working my tail off to get ahead, clouded my judgment of what the real world really is?

Sorry to hear that.
Your job sounds a lot like mine, except for the after-hours phone calls and additional shifts.
We have one wire EDM.
I started learning to use our wire EDM in March, 2000. Since then, I'm the only wire EDM guy for a company that employs over 6000 people worldwide. I've done work for our plants in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Germany, besides the work I do for our Flagstaff plants.
Last November, I had my annual review. I was shocked. I received my largest pay increase ever in my 26 years with the company.