Till now I was quite proud that I got MCAD and even posted my certificate. But I felt very bad about it when I found that a girl named Arfa Karim Randhawa in Pakisthan has finished her MCAD at the age of 9. Ya even I didn’t believe it at first (I read it twice before believing). Here is the link.
To recognize her talents and encourage her Microsoft has invited her to its Redmond campus and also arranged for an interview with Bill Gates.
What impressed me most was how she was described.
She made an impression through a combination of charm, flattery and boldness uncommon for someone her age. For example, during Arfa’s meeting with Gates, she presented him with a poem she wrote that celebrated his life story. But she also questioned him about what she perceived to be the relatively small proportion of women on the campus.”It should be balanced — an equal amount of men and an equal amount of women,” she explained afterward.
Here are some more excerpts
Later in the afternoon, she sat outside with S. “Soma” Somasegar, a Microsoft corporate vice president, and described her vision for a self-navigating car. He listened to her ideas and told her about some of Microsoft’s existing software for cars.
To be sure, despite her question to Gates about employing people her age, Microsoft wasn’t about to offer a job to someone so young. But Somasegar talked about the possibility of an internship in a few years.
“The thing that’s exciting to me is her passion for technology at this age,” said Somasegar, who decided to invite Arfa to Redmond after reading a story about her in MicroNews, an internal company newsletter.
I think it is a big success for Microsoft and also a real booster for both Microsoft and also the developers who use Microsoft technologies.
It looks strange how Robert Scoble missed it. Come on Scoble stop comparing Technorati and Bloglines and blog about this too. She promises to be a better evangelist than you for Microsoft 😉
Update: Some one in the comments said that this is news is a fraud. Here is the official news from Microsoft site itself.
BTW Scoble I am still waiting for your answer. Take some time to comment on this apart from comparing different blog searching engines. 😉
Hi Sudar, Nice to Know People coming to Programming from Such a Young age.
But, have you forgotten your Cousin ? I’ve followed your link to his Blog and I have certainly been Impressed by His Ability. Are you sure that He is 14 ? And he says that he Programmed C when he was 11 or 10 Years Old. If he had done that, You should’ve known. If it ware really true, and his knowledge of .NET is pretty good enough and he seems to have enough Acedemic Skills, I believe an MCAD or even MCSD might Not be too much for him.
And, If you are Sure that he is 14 Now and he programmed C at 10 or 11, please comment here and maybe, Encourage him to get an MCAD or MCSD.
It’s all fraud … Pakis are just choothiyas who can only destroy things !
Dey Sudaru, nee eppada USA poi kaasu pakka porey ? Sidela “Vellakara” kuttingleoda “Jalsa” pannalamille !
Hi Fred,
Yes, my cousin is only 14. To be precise his date of birth is 09-feb-1991. Right now he is studding 10th standard (grade). He started programming in C at 10.
I have been asking him to write MCAD, but my uncle (his dad) feels that he can take it up after sometime and more over he will be having his class 10th public exams (SSLC) this year. So my uncle wants him to concentrate on his studies rather than his programming.
May be one day I will succeed in convincing my uncle to allow him to write MCAD 🙁
BTW I have asked my cousin to give me his birth certificate and photo so that I can scan them and post it here as a poof and will be doing that when I get time to dust off my scanner 🙂
Thanks Fred for your Interest in Me. It is indeed, true that I am 14 and learnt C at 10. But, I was an Inefficient Programmer till 13. I was with C, hated OOP(!) and said Windows Programming was HARDEST. But, then, My 8th STD School Portion included VB!
I had been able to knowingly say that i knew MS Word, Powerpoint and Excel, The Previous Years Portions. So, Naturally, the Computer Science Master Expected I knew VB as well. So, I really had NO Option but to learn VB. So, I got this SAMS Book and learnt VB over Quartearly HOlidays.
But, Still, I hated OOP. That Changed When I got a copy of the Book Hard Core Visual Basic 5 from My Cousin, Sudar. Thank you Sudar, For lending me that Book. That Changed me. That one taught he the Strenghths of Good Coding and OOP Principles. Ever since, i used OOP in VB till i got .NET.
So, Still, my knowledge is very less, maybe 1/10 of Fred’s or My Cousin Sudar’s. But, I still, will Improve. ALthough My Dad and Financial Conditions may prevent me from taking MCSD, i surely would take up all that an MCSD should know. I should know all that, before i can talk to my dad.
And So, I am going to get a hang of Microsoft’s Learning Site. Thanks Fred, for giving that Thought to me.
And Cousin, Sudar, I just can’t Thank you enough. Without you, I’dve been just one of those Ordinary Students, Playing Games in Computers, Playing Cricket and just getting Good Marks. Thanks to you for What I am Now. Thanks.
HI I AM FAHAD ARFA KARIM’S BEST FRIEND I KNOW HER VERY WELL AND I JUST WANT TO TELL HER THAT I LOVE HER VERY MUCH
excuse me… but you should read the interview twice because it says that she is the youngest MCP not MCAD. Pakistanis are not “chootiyas” or whatever you call them, they are very brilliant-minded people. And I tell you I am not a Pakistani. And I think that FAHAD has posted the most lame comment ever.
Hi I am Fahad Javaid I jus want to become friend with this girl if any one know any contact numbers on anything from which i can contact her.please meet me at my id FJ.LUV@HOTMAIL.COM
hi everybody i know this girl is from faisalabad and she study in a cantt school in grade 8.But why dont she go and study abroad and work with microsoft.Andi think billgates should hav offered her that
HI SUDAR
FAHAD HERE
I JUS WANT TO KNOW WAT U HAV TO DO TO BECOME AN MCP
FROM WHERE CAN I GET ALL OF THIS INFORMATION
AND PLEASE TELL WAT COURSES ARE NECESSARY FOR IT
hI FAHD
THNX FOR UR COMPLIMENTS BUT I AM SORRY I CANNOT GIV U MY CONTACT NUMBER
HAV FUN
She has also been featured on
GoodJobDude.com
Hi ..ArfA WhAt Is Ur DaTe Of BiRtH…….