5-year-old british kid passes LSD exam



  • So this happened...

    A boy from Coventry has become the youngest computer specialist in the world.

    Ayan Qureshi is now a Microsoft Certified Professional after passing the tech giant's exam when he was just five years old.

    Ayan, now six, whose father is an IT consultant, has set up his own computer network at home.

    He told the BBC he found the exam difficult but enjoyable, and hopes to set up a UK-based tech hub one day.

    Mr Qureshi introduced his son to computers when he was three years old. He let him play with his old computers, so he could understand hard drives and motherboards.

    "I found whatever I was telling him, the next day he'd remember everything I said, so I started to feed him more information," he explained.

    "Too much computing at this age can cause a negative effect, but in Ayan's case he has cached this opportunity."

    Ayan has his own computer lab at his home in Coventry, containing a computer network which he built.

    He spends around two hours a day learning about the operating system and how to install programmes.

    When the boy arrived to take the Microsoft exam, the invigilators were concerned that he was too young to be a candidate.

    His father reassured them that Ayan would be all right on his own.

    The test is usually taken by people who want to become IT technicians.
    Ayan Qureshi at the compurer The exam invigilators thought Ayan Qureshi was too young to be a candidate

    Ayan's mother Mamoona is training to be a GP.

    The family moved to England from Pakistan in 2009.

    "I'm very happy and very proud, I don't want to see him set a world record every day. But I want him to do his best whatever he does in his life," she said.

    Ayan says he hopes to launch a UK-based IT hub similar to America's Silicon Valley one day, which he intends to call E-Valley.

    He also wants to start his own company.



  • This says more about the exam than anything.

    -@chubertdev, MCP



  • I don't think it says anything about anything, little kids are great at memorizing things. And there's no way to score a standardized test without a standardized answer-set. So...

    This particular kid is getting the press because his dad was the first one to think of doing it.



  • I liked the part where you disagreed with me then proved my point.



  • I liked the part where you misread my post entirely.



  • Unemployment is taking its toll on you.


  • BINNED

    @chubertdev said:

    This says more about the exam than anything.

    -@chubertdev, MCP

    I agree

    @Luhmann, MCP


  • BINNED

    @Luhmann said:

    @chubertdev said:
    This says more about the exam than anything.

    -@chubertdev, MCP

    I agree

    @Luhmann, MCP

    I haven't taken the test, so I can't be taken as an authority, but I tend to agree as well.

    @Onyx, cleaning up the mess left by an MCP


    I do agree with @blakeyrat as well, to a point. Yes, the fact that he started learning at such young age certainly is a huge factor. The brain is like a sponge at that age.

    I think the point @chubertdev was trying to make is that, given how this young boy passed it, the test does not require a great deal of experience, which he simply could not gain due to, well, not being alive long enough.

    Then again, since those certifications help with getting a job, which is even more important for someone fresh out of school, I guess that might be intentional. But the general public doesn't know that and puts way too much stock in it. That's my guess anyway, since I'm guilty of the same thing; I assumed becoming an MCP is much harder than it apparently is.



  • Oh man, another blakeyrat in the making.



  • He is English not British.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @dookdook said:

    > but in Ayan's case he has cached this opportunity

    He did what now?

    @lucas said:

    He is English not British.

    Are you sure:

    The family moved to England from Pakistan in 2009.


  • BINNED

    @lucas said:

    He is English not British.

    Do we need to bring in ben and Venn diagrams?



  • Well I think I have a 11/12 chance he is English

    EDIT: Actually my maths is fucked. Fair point.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @Onyx said:

    Do we need to bring in ben and Venn diagrams?

    Already been done. From CGP Grey:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10



  • @Onyx said:

    I think the point @chubertdev was trying to make is that, given how this young boy passed it, the test does not require a great deal of experience, which he simply could not gain due to, well, not being alive long enough.

    The tests are not about experience. The main value that comes from being certified is showing that you know at least a little bit about the other parts of the technology that you don't use all that often. It's really easy to Google how to do something, what's important is to know what to Google. Certification complements experience, it doesn't replace it.

    I have passed nearly one hundred certification exams (it used to be a big part of my job) from several vendors and none of them ever required experience. One time I accidentally scheduled the wrong exam and passed it anyways.



  • @lucas said:

    He is English not British.

    As an American, I have no idea what this implies. Is it racism? Some pedantic dickweedery about Great Britain's 47 internal political boundaries nobody cares about?


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @blakeyrat said:

    Some pedantic dickweedery about Great Britain's 47 internal political boundaries nobody cares about?

    This.
    English people are British.



  • I'm still leaning towards racism.



  • So are Scottish and Welsh people, but most people refer to them as Scottish and Welsh respectively.

    TBH I don't feel like I have the same cultural influences as Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish ... damn I am from the South of England which is a totally different beast from the North parts and then London is just a whole other thing all on its own.

    @blakeyrat said:

    I'm still leaning towards racism.

    It isn't. It would be akin to me calling a Canadian an American because you both live in Continent of North America.

    As you don't seem to care because it is "pedantic dickweedery" I am going to refer to all obvious American people on here as Mexicans from now as it kinda nearby.


  • I survived the hour long Uno hand

    To be accurate, it'd be like called a New Yorker an American because they live in the part of the United States of America called New York. English people live in the part of the UK called England, making them both English and British in the same way New Yorkers are also Americans. They just get more upset about it because history.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @lucas said:

    So are Scottish and Welsh people, but most people refer to them as Scottish and Welsh respectively.

    Because inside the UK it's handy to distinguish between English, Scottish etc in the same way people from The Midlands distinguish themselves from people from the Home Counties. Otherwise no one cares. Claiming someone is English not British is just wrong because they're both.

    @lucas said:

    London is just a whole other thing all on its own.

    That's because the M25 should be turned into a moat and London declared its own country.




    Filed under: The London thing is a joke before someone starts



  • Yes they are both, but I don't think I have ever heard anyone who isn't a politician say it.

    I don't think it is difficult to look up a country on the map, considering we have them free of charge and at our fingertips.


  • I survived the hour long Uno hand

    If you want I can read my post out loud when I'm streaming on twitch tonight and then you'll have heard it ;)



  • I have to try out twitch as I wanna put some vids up of me playing Farcry 4 when it comes out on Tuesday.



  • @loopback0 said:

    That's because the M25 should be turned into a moat and London declared its own country.

    I couldn't agree more, but that is an entirely different matter.



  • @lucas said:

    So are Scottish and Welsh people, but most people refer to them as Scottish and Welsh respectively.

    Most people where? Certainly not where I am.

    The only person I'd think of referring to as Scottish is that character in Star Trek who was literally named "Scotty".

    I've never seen anybody refer to anybody as "Welsh".

    @lucas said:

    TBH I don't feel like I have the same cultural influences as Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish ... damn I am from the South of England which is a totally different beast from the North parts and then London is just a whole other thing all on its own.

    You don't have enough land area for that many cultural groups, that's freakin' ridiculous. Japan's the same size as you, and they got like... two cultural groups I can think of.

    @lucas said:

    It isn't. It would be akin to me calling a Canadian an American because you both live in Continent of North America.

    Canadians are called Canadians because the name of their country is "Canada". Mexicans are called Mexicans because the name of their country is "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (or "United Mexican States" in English.) Americans are called Americans because the name of their country is "The United States of America".

    The naming scheme is perfectly logical. I'm sorry that Ben Franklin didn't recommend we name the country "Awesomeland" or something more distinctive for you, but that's just the way it is.

    @lucas said:

    As you don't seem to care because it is "pedantic dickweedery" I am going to refer to all obvious American people on here as Mexicans from now as it kinda nearby.

    So your tiny archipelago is allowed to have like 27 cultural groups, but the entire (mainland) Continent of North America*, a land area that could fit your archipelago about 105 times, isn't allowed to have three?

    That makes... sense?

    Your worldview reminds me of that famous New Yorker cover:


    * Yes, pedantic dickweeds, I didn't include central America, etc, etc, etc.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    I've just realised that this six year old kid is more qualified as an IT professional than I am.



  • @blakeyrat said:

    Most people where? Certainly not where I am.

    Whoosh!

    @blakeyrat said:

    I've never seen anybody refer to anybody as "Welsh".

    Say that to a Welsh person and you better be prepared to be Educated ...

    @blakeyrat said:

    You don't have enough land area for that many cultural groups, that's freakin' ridiculous. Japan's the same size as you, and they got like... two cultural groups I can think of.

    There are 4 distinct countries, they are on maps they have been there for a long time now. Watch the video that was linked it explains everything.

    @blakeyrat said:

    Canadians are called Canadians because the name of their country is "Canada". Mexicans are called Mexicans because the name of their country is "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (or "United Mexican States" in English.) Americans are called Americans because the name of their country is "The United States of America".

    I was parodying your ignorance.

    Scottish people are called Scottish because they live in Scotland, Welsh people are called Welsh because they live in Wales, Northern Irish people are called Northern Irish because they live in Northern Ireland and English people are called English because they live in England.

    @blakeyrat said:

    So your tiny archipelago is allowed to have like 27 cultural groups, but the entire (mainland) Continent of North America*, a land area that could fit your archipelago about 105 times, isn't allowed to have three?

    It is called "taking the piss".. I wasn't being 100% serious. Should I be putting smileys after everything to make it easy on you?



  • @lucas said:

    Scottish people are called Scottish because they live in Scotland, Welsh people are called Welsh because they live in Wales, Northern Irish people are called Northern Irish because they live in Northern Ireland and English people are called English because they live in England.

    Ah! But they are not.

    EDIT: I'm still leaning towards racism.



  • I am more into razy lacism


  • BINNED

    @blakeyrat said:

    Ah! But they are not.

    There is for example a Welsh, scottish & English national soccer team. There is no UK team.


  • BINNED

    @blakeyrat said:

    You don't have enough land area for that many cultural groups

    Come to Belgium. Even smaller but with more regional governments and bigger cultural differences then the UK.



  • @blakeyrat said:

    Japan's the same size as you

    Bad example, as Japan has been mostly isolated for much of its history. Great Britain on the other hand is a clustefuck of invasions and cultures. For example, after the roman empire fell, most of the roman burgues (?) was forced to Wales, and mostly held to that part of the island while the vikings, normands, and Saxons fought for everything else.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @blakeyrat said:

    pedantic dickweeds

    Insisting that anyone who corrects you is a dickweed is itself a dickweed move. It's like those people who say all criticism of President Obola can only be racist. On the contrary, I don't like them when white people like Fauxcahontas espouse them either!



  • with the right motivation.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ravykEih1rE



  • I'm having problems imagining this happening. Not that I disbelieve that it happened at all. But HOW it happened.

    Have you guys ever seen a 5 year old? Those little things are fucking useless. Stupid as shit. But this kid... imagine him talking in his tiny voice about servers and networking... Fuck! That's creepy.



  • I know mine couldn't do this. I mean, he has trouble counting from 120 to 130... Although he's very good making Angry Bird buildings ❤


  • Garbage Person

    I dunno. 'round 7 or 8 I was a better programmer than most graduates today. I can believe a 5YO MCP.



  • If that affirmation comes from your daddy, let me tell you, he was lying. Also, he didn't like that mug you made for him 😛


  • Banned

    The sad part is, by the time he becomes of age allowing him to be legally employed, all the knowledge he has acquired will be outdated. Also, he'll forget most, if not all of it (unless he has Asperger's).



  • You really have to know a bit more about the MCP to understand the "difficulty" involved. There are four tests for the MCSA with increasing difficultly and seven for the MSCE/MCITP. More than likely, this kid passed the first test available on those pathways, 70-687, the Windows 8 exam. That test, mostly, just hits upon all the general usage and how to make non-standard changes, with the difficult portion being about deployment and using WDS. There are also a TON of obscure Microsoft tests that will grant you your MCSE. Please don't let me give you the impression that I am trying to take away from a five year old kid passing any one of these tests. I am just saying, if you are fairly intelligent, use Microsoft OS's regularly, and have $150 you could have your MCP as well. VERY easy to do.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @loopback0 said:

    The London thing is a joke before someone starts

    😦


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    I don't mind London really, but I'd never live there and I'd only work there if I was paid a lot of money to do so.



  • @Eldelshell said:

    >blakeyrat:

    Japan's the same size as you

    Bad example, as Japan has been mostly isolated for much of its history. Great Britain on the other hand is a clustefuck of invasions and cultures.

    Japan is also the country with the idiom "The Nail that Sticks out is Hammered Down", meaning people who don't fit the mold are forced into it, unlike the UK where individuality and freedom has always been a big deal.



  • @loopback0 said:

    I don't mind London really, but I'd never live there and I'd only work there if I was paid a lot of money to do so.

    Funny story: I live and work there because it seemed like the only option for working, and by extension, living at all.

    Admittedly my wife thinks everywhere I worked previously in our university town was a backwater of some kind. That includes the temp jobs loading lorries. A manager who asserts that the workers are lazy because the lorry hasn't come in yet and they haven't set about doing random jobs that might get their fingers cut off by the stitcher or their ear drums pierced by the vacuum cleaner or acid spilled on them from ??? in the form of a question is going to be a shit manager in any job.

    London seems to have fewer of these backwater companies, and less of an employers market, yet somehow more people who will use the phrase 'job creator' as though it's a real thing.


  • 🚽 Regular

    @loopback0 said:

    The London thing is a joke

    While I appreciate the dedication it takes to build a whole city just to make a joke, I don't think it was very funny.

    Maybe I just don't get British humour.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    I don't mean London as a whole, I meant my comment about declaring London its own country, but yeah, it's not humour that's necessarily going to work outside of Britain.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @Shoreline said:

    Funny story: I live and work there because it seemed like the only option for working, and by extension, living at all.

    Thanks to the wonders of the East Coast Mainline I could leave my front door and still be in central London in just over an hour, so I'd definitely not live there, but I'd need lots of money to soften the pain (and cost) of 2+ hours of train and tube a day.



  • @lameduck0rg said:

    I am just saying, if you are fairly intelligent, use Microsoft OS's regularly, and have $150 you could have your MCP as well. VERY easy to do

    That doesn't say much of all those so called Microsoft Certified Engineers then. I mean, Certified Expert User would make more sense then.
    If you tell me you have an MSCE it makes the false impression that you have enough knowledge to solve problems with/in the Windows platform, not that you know how to change the screensaver.

    Sorry, I got all mixed up with the different abbreviations.


  • FoxDev

    MCP <> MCSE

    the one on the right is significantly harder to get and higher prestige. also worth way more in the salary department.

    EDIT: corrected acronym expansion. thanks @loopback0 for pointing that out.


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