Observations are offered regarding differences between the academic persistence, academic achievement, and general learning behaviors of male and female students in job skills classes for physical plant and security employees at a state university. Greater numbers of women tended to enroll in and continue attending classes. The men tended to enroll for a specific purpose, such as gaining the literacy skills needed to obtain a driver's license or learning enough math to take the General Educational Development tests. The women attending classes were more likely to be motivated by a desire to keep on learning or to help their children and grandchildren. The men were more likely to follow directions and stick to one task until they master it, whereas the women were more likely to dabble (in other words, work on one task for a while and then pick up something else to work on for a while). Although the women did not fit into a school model of mastery and testing, they kept attending class and did make progress. The Bible proved to be a powerful book for both the men and women, and members of both sexes read Bible stories in class. (MN)