As a machinist of 35 years I can say your pay scale is WAY off. Just look jobs on Indeed.Com.

Trust Me, A Tool and Die Maker makes much much more than you quoted. Problem is everybody wants to learn whizbang instead of getting a foundation of conventional machinery.

What cracks me up is I see CNC programmer jobs paying less than Tool and Die makers when programming requires computer knowledge.

The real problem with the trade is Vo-Tech is dead and kids can't even swing wrenches these days, let alone the strong mental math skill required.