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The Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) credential is for technology professionals who have the skills to successfully implement a Microsoft product or technology as part of a business solution. At just 9 years old, Arfa Karim Randhawa , of Faisalabad, Pakistan, is one of the youngest MCPs in the world. She recently received her credentials from Emre Berkin, chairman of Microsoft's Europe, Middle East and Africa region, and Jawwad Rehman, Microsoft's country manager for Pakistan. Via e-mail, Randhawa recently discussed how the child of an agricultural family came to achieve this status and what it means to her and her family.
PressPass: When did you first become interested in computers?
Arfa: At the age of 5, when I was in kindergarten, I often used to pass by the computer labs and see students doing work on computers. I realized that calculation, which would take us a long time to do, can be done in less than a second with the help of computers. So that is how my interest in computers began. I started to explore computers on my own and first used one at the age of 6, when I was in first grade. Then I went to Applied Technologies (APTECH) for further studies.
PressPass: Why did you decide to pursue MCP certification?
Arfa: When I went to APTECH, my teachers, keeping in view my aim and age, decided that I should go for a certification of Microsoft. Because of my interest in software development, they decided that I should go for my MCP. It took me four months, and I did it during my summer vacation.
PressPass: What does it mean to you to receive this honor?
Arfa: It means a lot to me, because it helped me get recognition worldwide and to fulfill the dreams of my parents, especially my late grandfather, Ch. Abdul Karim Randhawa. I am thankful to Almighty Allah and my teachers, without whom I could not have achieved this honor. This is just the beginning.
PressPass: How have your family and friends reacted?
Arfa: The reaction of my family and friends was, naturally, very exciting. They are exhilarated and very much proud of me. My father provided me the opportunities, the required hardware, various software and the main thing, which is my confidence level.
I live in Faisalabad, a major industrial city of Pakistan. Faisalabad is called "Manchester of Pakistan," and it is famous for its cloth industry. I belong to a purely agricultural family from a rural background. My late grandfather was an unlettered scholar and had a great passion for higher education for his next generation. My father is serving with a U.N. peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My mother is a landlady and looks after the land affairs in the absence of my father. I have two younger brothers, named Sarmad and Dawood, ages 7 and 3, respectively. Prior to me, no one in my family is in the field of IT.
PressPass: Have you ever visited America?
Arfa: I have not visited America as of now. However, I would love to come to the United States, for two reasons. Firstly, I would like to pay a visit to Disneyland. Secondly, I would like to meet Bill Gates.
PressPass: What other kinds of activities or hobbies do you enjoy?
Arfa: Computers, singing, reading, painting and gardening are my hobbies. I have won a singing competition at the national level. I keep my self updated by reading different books and encyclopedias.
PressPass: Do you have any advice for other young people?
Arfa: I have a message for the kids across the globe: If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only in the mind. If you think shy, you act shy. But if you think confident, you act confident. Therefore, never let shyness conquer your mind.
At just 9 years old, Arfa Karim Randhawa, of Faisalabad, Pakistan, is one of the youngest MCPs in the world.
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