Struggle with pros and cons?

How many of us out there? We love our jobs in the IT field and we know we are good at what we do? I am confident in my abilities as an IT professional and I do not feel appreciated for the work I do. I just want to know if this is what I have to look forward to during the remainder of my career. I love working with computers, but the stress of working hard for peanuts while trying to advance skills seems almost not worth it. I’m trying to stick it out, but it’s tough. Am I the only one that feels this way about the IT field as a whole (for youngsters fresh in the field) or am I missing something?