A CORK leaving cert student has spoken about how he put aside his dreams of joining the army after finding an unlikely passion for hairdressing during lockdown.

Sean Fox from Glounthaune said that while most of his friends are opting to pursue trades, he has no qualms about taking an alternative route. 

He is now keen to encourage other males his age not to let the opinions of others get in the way of their post-leaving cert career choices.

“As long as you get even a few lads in more will push the boundaries and try it," he told the Echo. 

"I'm the only boy in my class who wants to do hairdressing-probably the only boy in my school. I don't really care what anybody else thinks and that's probably a good thing.” 

The teen, whose loves include Thai boxing and history, said the pandemic gave him time to re-evaluate what he really wanted to do. 

During lockdown, he catered for the tresses of immediate family members including his brother Robert and dad Ken. 

Word got around about the 18-year-old's talent leading to demand for his services among friends and neighbours. He joked that his newfound hobby often gets him into trouble.

 He referred to one story by way of example.

"I spent ages convincing a friend of mine to let me give him a mullet and I finally convinced him to come around to the idea. However, his mum ended up hating it so was a bit upset that I had talked him into it."

Sean said the only person's hair he wouldn't attempt to style is his grandmother Yvonne's.

"I don't want to even attempt it in case I mess it up," he laughed. 

"She has her own personal hairdresser who comes to the house. I'm always in and out of the house so I haven't really had time to talk to her yet but I might get a chance to get some tips from her sometime."

The teen said his teachers and friends were surprised to hear of his ambition.

"What I love about hairdressing is that you are getting the chance to make people happy. 

"I'm not really a fan of school but my brother always tells me that work is much harder. The way I look at it is I am getting tortured for free while he is getting tortured for money so at least there's something to look forward to! If someone had told me a few years ago that this is what I'd be planning on doing I would have thought they were a comedian. I wanted to be straight into the army."

Sean enjoys experimenting with alternative styles and is currently sporting a mullet.

"People either love my hair or hate it. I've always wanted to be on the edge. Before I used to look like every other fella but now I feel I stand out more."

There are also days when Sean prefers to blend in.

"Some days if I'm in a big crowd I'll move to the side. Other days I'll want to be in the middle."

The Coláiste Éamann Rís pupil has already undertaken training at Origin hair salon on Drawbridge Street.

"It boosted my confidence and motivated me. I found the long hair challenging at first. Girls getting into hairdressing are used to working on their own hair but it was different for me."