its quite apparent that the only way to garnish a higher salary for yourself in the IT field is just swtich jobs every few years
No! Wrong! Well, most likely it's wrong. There are some companies that are going down the pan, but generally most are doing well.
I had this feeling for a long time, but it's simply that IT people (generally speaking) aren't very confident, so they get the minimum pay rise, then they hide away and try to find jobs subversively on the side. Then the same thing happens at their next job. Just use your cahones and push for a payrise.
I regret moving jobs - my old MD seemed like a skinflint, but I'm sure he would've paid more than my present employer if I had pushed him.