http://news.com.com/9-year-old+earns+accolade+as+Microsoft+pro/2100-1012_3-5793614.html?tag=nefd.top Published: July 18, 2005, 3:48 PM PDT By Colin Barker Special to CNET News.com A Pakistani girl has qualified as a Microsoft Certified Professional at the age of 9. Arfa Karim of Multan has officially become the youngest MCP in Pakistan, and one of the youngest in the world. Karim, now 10, met with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates last week--an experience she later described as second only to visiting Disneyland. To attain the credential--at any age--a person has to display technical proficiency in areas such as .Net, Visual Studio 6.0 and Windows Server 2003. Karim got excited about technology, when her father bought her a computer--primarily to use for e-mail, according to S. "Soma" Somasegar, a corporate vice president in Microsoft's tools division. "What she wants to do as she grows up--she would love to study at Harvard, work in a company like Microsoft and go back to Pakistan to do technology innovations in the field of satellite engineering," Somasegar wrote in his blog last week. Somasegar describes her as the youngest MCP in the world, but according to a Channel News Asia report, the youngest ever to attain that qualification is India's Mridul Seth, who is said to have gained it at age 8 in November 2004. According to Microsoft, Karim is part of a select group, as one of only a few certified professionals in the world to qualify below the age of 10. Karim has been honored for her achievement by the Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman Foundation in Karachi, where she was presented with an award for excellence. She was the first recipient of the award, which will honor students "who have displayed exemplary achievements and skills in their respective fields." For her efforts, Karim was also given a computer.
Just another example of why certifications are worthless. To be a MCP you have to pass one Microsoft certification test. You can literally pass ANY test to achive this. One of those tests is the Desktop Support test which, if memory serves, tests your ability to use Windows and Office, how to install applications, how to manage files (copy, delete, rename...), How to use/configure Internet Explorer and Outlook, how to troubleshoot applications(reboot and retry in most cases). Is there anything on this list that you don't think you can do? Hell my 6 year old knows how to do most of this stuff. Most junior high computer geeks could pass this test without taking the course or even reading the materials. I'm not saying that this girl isn't deserving the certification. I'm just saying that it isn't that big of an honor.
You must be thinking of the MOUS tests which test your office abilities. I assure you that none of the MCP tests have questions like how do you use copy/paste or configure Outlook. There's no such thing as a "desktop support" MCP test. I completed the MCSE requirements for NT 4, Win2k, and Win2k3. I agree with you, certs aren't worth a whole lot on their own....there are plenty of complete idiots out there that are certified. The main reason I did them is because they look good on a resume, my company paid for the tests, and most importantly I got a bonus for it.
I dont think certs are worthless at all CCIE and CCNAs are some of the few I've seen that can get you a higher rate in pay off the bat at most jobs..
Cisco certs are a completely different topic. Microsoft certs (and a few others i.e. A+, Network+) are a waste of time and money. There is nothing worse than getting a "paper tech" on your team. I'd take someone with several years experiencve over some douche with an MCP/MCSE with little to no experience. I think the thread title is kind of laughable. I have been doing this crap for years and hardly consider myself a microsoft pro even though I have my MCSE.
Somasegar describes her as the youngest MCP in the world, but according to a Channel News Asia report, the youngest ever to attain that qualification is India's Mridul Seth, who is said to have gained it at age 8 in November 2004. Oh look at the shock on my face...
Actually I was talking about the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) which after passing either of the 2 tests required for that certification makes you a MCP.
