You won't get a $250k salary as a "proficient JavaScript engineer" living in the Midwest. For that much money one could hire 3-5 reasonable developers a year in the Midwest. Developers in the Bay Area earn six figures because the cost of living is so darn high. If you jump jobs make sure it's for a 20% increase INCLUDING the cost of living difference otherwise you might be losing money (unless you just want a situation change that badly).

In order to earn that much you have to actually prove that you can provide a multiple of that value. That most likely means moving into management in some fashion.

Investments won't help make you money immediately, it's much more a "twenty years later" type of deal.