6-Year-Old Says He's World's Youngest Certified Microsoft Professional

A 6-year-old boy in the U.K. is claiming the title of the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional in the world.

Ayan Qureshi, who lives with his family in Coventry, U.K., passed the tech giant's test when he was just 5 years old, the BBC reported. His father, Asim Qureshi, told The Huffington Post via email that he introduced his son to computers he was 3.

"He started playing with computer bits and pieces and was made familiar with many features of the Windows operating system," Asim Qureshi said. "It became a hobby for him."

After realizing that his son had a serious knack for computers, Asim Qureshi started helping him study for the Microsoft Certified Professional exam, he said. The test "validates IT professional and developer technical expertise through rigorous, industry-proven, and industry-recognized exams," according to Microsoft's website.

"In the beginning it wasn't easy at all," Asim Qureshi said. "It took many months to prepare for the exam. For this purpose, Ayan studied Microsoft books and set up a home computer lab to do the preparation for the certification."

But the months of preparation paid off: Ayan is now a certified IT professional. He told BBC News that the exam was “difficult but enjoyable.”

He also has some impressive future plans. BBC News reported that he wants to launch E-Valley in the U.K. one day, which will be very similar to Silicon Valley.