PC Pro Marko Calasan Is a 9-Year-Old Systems Engineer

Pablo Picasso painted Picador at the age of eight. Mozart composed his first clavier pieces when he was just five. Mary-Kate and Ashley were full-fledged entrepreneurs at at the ripe old age of seven. And now, the world has nine-year-old computer whiz Marko Calasan to add to this short list of legendary childhood prodigies.

At the age of six, while most of us were refining our ABCs or trying not to color outside the lines, Marko had already received his first systems administrator credential from Microsoft. When you were nine, you probably spent your days thinking about how gross the opposite sex was, or wondering why anyone would ever need to know long division. Marko? He was busy working toward becoming Microsoft's youngest Certified Systems Engineer, a title he achieved just last month.

Microsoft managers in Slovenia first caught word of the boy wonder from Macedonia two years ago, before finally meeting him during a presentation he gave to the company. He's already gainfully employed, too, remotely managing a computer network for a non-profit organization that helps people with disabilities, and teaching computer basics to elementary school students. In his spare time, Marko keeps busy with his own project -- an attempt to transmit high-def TV signals over relatively slow network infrastructures, an initiative that enticed a Macedonian telecom company to give the pre-teen direct access to their entire network.

Calasan has already received a pass from government officials that allows him to attend less school than other non-genius kids, so he has plenty of time to devote to his tech endeavors. He estimates that he spends about four hours a day in front of a computer, and sometimes a full 10. The one thing he doesn't do? Video games. As he says, "There is nothing serious about playing games on computers. If you want to play, go outside and play with your friends." Ouch, Marko. Ouch. [From: CNET News]

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