Career plateau

Hi fellow editors, I wanted to share some thoughts about hitting a career plateau. A bit about me:

I’m not based in the US, but my country has been experiencing a small boom in the film scene. I mostly work remotely for what’s probably the busiest production company here (though, to be fair, this is a third-world country and even our “big” budgets are peanuts compared to US productions). I’ve been with them for about 3–4 years now. In the beginning I worked on-site, but after a few clashes with the main producer, I gradually transitioned to editing remotely, only going in for briefings or deliveries. They seem fine with it, since they keep sending me projects.

So far, I’ve edited several documentaries (4 of which are headed to one of the big streaming platforms, which is great for my resume) and one feature film, with a second feature lined up soon.

That said, I feel like I’ve hit a ceiling, especially in terms of wages. From asking around, it seems I already earn about as much as an editor can make in this country. But it still doesn’t feel like enough to live comfortably, given how limited project budgets are, and the global/local economy.

On top of that, by going fully remote I suspect I’ve missed out on networking opportunities and building connections. The truth is, though, I just couldn’t handle working closely with that producer, I was stressed all the time. I'm also quite introverted, so its not like I miss the interactions, but I can't help but think I've been missing out on building a network.

Have any of you been in a similar situation? How did you handle it?