If your management is so focused on short time returns that it will not invest in increasing your skills to improve your productivity - you should do it anyway in your own free time. All tools and documentation are free, you just invest your time.
Of course your progress would be slower, but after some time you should be able to show some results, proving to your managers that giving more support to test automation is good investment for company. Or if not, you gained skills which you can apply in a different company with better future (for both company and you).
As the saying goes: if you cannot change your company - change your company (meaning: vote with your feet, work for another one).