A crisis in his thirties led a Lisburn man to consider a new career – and his first step was to enrol at SERC.
Andrew “Cass” Cassidy, who is now 40, is following a traineeship in Barbering at the SERC Lisburn Campus and is full of plans and hopes for the future. Though he says his first experience of college, years ago, was not so positive:
“I passed GCSEs and left school, moving on to what was then “the Tech” for business studies and communication, but I wasn’t really engaged, and I didn’t really work at it – I was more into music, and I was singing with a heavy metal band. So I worked in music and in bars and hospitality until my late 20s, which didn’t make me much of a living, so then did some office and call-centre jobs, ending up in the civil service.
“That would probably be a perfectly good job for most people, but I couldn’t make it work. I think I am neurodiverse and I’ve had problems with drugs and alcohol, which is common for people with that condition, so things weren’t great. I knew I had to get on top of things and went to a rehabilitation unit in my 30s. It was while I was there that I met another resident who was a barber; he did everyone’s hair, and I started helping him and my interest grew from there. I felt this was the role for me! So, I made the decision not to go back to offices but go into barbering as a career.”
Finding that he could train locally and in a modern campus meant Cass didn’t hesitate to enrol at SERC as soon as he could. He says,
“I used to study in the old building back when I first left school, but the facilities now are fantastic! And I can’t give enough credit to the tutors here. Everything is very clear, very well signposted. I was very conscious that I am a 40-year-old man going back into education with people a lot younger, but it’s fine and I am treated like any other student. It’s enlightening and good craic! The course is more complex than I expected, even though I was warned! There’s a lot more to it than people think, but you just have to get on with it and learn.”
He adds that the real-life learning at SERC suits him:
“I enjoy the theory, and I am doing well in it, but it’s the practical that is the main thing. I love Tuesdays at SERC as we are in the salon, which is professional standard. I have discovered the joy of layering longer hair – I am wondering about studying hairdressing next, but that’s something for the future! SERC helped me get a work placement in Lisburn every Friday, so the next step for me after this course would be to rent a chair in an established salon as a junior barber. Then to get my own place – though the thing about barbering is that it can take you anywhere. So travel could be in the plan as well..!”
Come along to our Full-Time and Part-Time Open Evening on Thursday 4 June 2026 at our Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards campuses from 5pm - 8pm.
Explore courses commencing September 2026.
