I've done plant work on and off for 3 1/2 years, and have noticed two kinds of people who are in for the long hall.
First off are the people who said that it started as a stepping stone... but the pay and benifits made it hard to leave and they always said "I'll go to school next year". Next thing they now 5-10 years has gone by and they have a family and cant afford to pursue a new path. These are the easiest people to work with because they are atleast working for a cause, to make their families life better
Second are the people who are just not motivated/ self confident enough to give up the pay/ benifits. They complaine about the job day in and day out and yet dont do anything about it, or simply dont realize/havent been shown what they could be doing instead.
Personally I cant wait to go back to school this fall! I have been work at a battery plant and xray batteries looking for imperfections 12 hours a day for three months and dont want to fall under my first example!