When Adrian Cullen (20) was studying for his Leaving Cert in Virginia, Co Cavan, he didn't have a clue what he wanted to do. He decided to skip the CAO and do a Post Leaving Cert (PLC) course instead.

“I didn’t have an interest in filling it out, and I felt it was a lot of pressure to choose something for the next four years and then for the rest of your life. I also didn’t want to leave home at 17.”

He started a PLC in multimedia and web design at Cavan Institute but quickly lost interest.

“It was just kind of sitting at a computer all day, typing things out and drawing things.

“There was a lot of technical stuff – coding and other stuff I didn’t have much interest in. I was on my own a lot. I realised I needed to do something creative and social as well.”

By that time, Cullen had been working part-time in a salon for years, something he did not consider a job because “it was just something I loved to do at weekends”.

He started an 18-month diploma course in hairdressing at the Dylan Bradshaw Academy in Dublin the following year.

“It’s creative and social as well, which I love. I’m working with different people everyday. I’ve become friends with clients and with people on the course. We became a family on the course.”

Now Cullen is a hairdresser at the Bradshaw salon. He is glad things worked out the way they did, PLC course and all.

“It was a good year for someone who was 17 and didn’t know what to do in life. I think a lot of pressure is put on kids doing the Leaving. A one-year course is less commitment, less expensive, and it’s easier to tell your parents you want to do something else.”