Congratulations on such an amazing accomplishment! Good luck in your studies at Cambridge. You are, without question, a remarkable human being. Take care!
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Congrats on Cambridge, tigermatt! We're Proud To Say We Knew You When
BID:: 5444
I've been badgering (pun intended) Matt Huxtable, known to most of you as tigermatt, for an interview for months now. The fact that he started using Experts Exchange when he was 11 (the age laws have since changed to 13 years or older, though Matt is hardly the reason why) is a story in itself but his recent admission to England's prestigious Cambridge University--and the fact that he credits Experts Exchange for helping him get there--sweetens the plot a bit.
I'd sent over some interview questions for Matt to answer earlier this year, and I felt bad every time I pinged him to ask when he'd be able to answer them. Why? Probably because I knew that in between final exams, Matt was busy answering questions on Experts Exchange, assisting his fellow community volunteers in keeping the site running and managing 20 or so clients that he does consulting work for on technologies like Exchange Server (his particular area of expertise). And oh, did I mention that he's only seventeen years old?
In case you haven't picked up on it yet, the UK born and bred youngster is a genius--and we're not just speaking in terms of Expert certifications. Here's a bit more about Matt, what got him interested in Experts Exchange and where he's headed in the future:
Why is the sky blue?
Born with an inquisitive nature, Matt says this was one of his first questions he asked as a child. From there, his fascination with natural phenomena grew into an incurable love for math, science and the laws of physics; and at age 10, his passion for learning new things paid off when he was moved into secondary school a year early. Exactly one year after that accomplishment (which would have been enough for most kids), Matt built his first server from random hardware components lying around his house and ran Small Business Server 2003 for the family computers.
"Not really knowing what I was up against, I kept breaking the machine, which meant only one thing: I had to learn how to fix it," Matt says. "Fixing something means you need not only understand how it works but also prevent the problem occurring again. I spent a lot of time with my head buried in MS Technet to learn the theory and best practices, but when I needed an answer to fix something NOW, Google kept sending me to Experts Exchange. After EE had solved numerous problems, I asked my parents late one Sunday evening if I could sign up to ‘this helpful website’. I opened a free Expert account and never turned back."
Since that fateful Sunday, Matt has earned 32 Expert Certification, including three at the Genius level (1,000,000 points) for Exchange Server, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 2003 Server.
"Exchange Server is my home and my passion, so I spend most of my time there. Managing Exchange requires a heavy background in the underlying technologies – Active Directory, DNS and networking to name a few – so it’s not uncommon for me to be answering questions in those zones either. I was proud to be the first Expert to hit Genius in the Windows Server 2008 a few years ago; that took some work but was a brilliant milestone to reach in my Expert career," Matt says.
Why Experts Exchange?
In addition to answering nearly 5,000 questions and writing numerous articles, Matt also volunteers as an Experts Exchange Zone Adviser, Page Editor and Cleanup Volunteer. Still, he says he's the one who learns the most from participating on the site.
"Helping folks at Experts Exchange exposes me to situations I might not experience elsewhere, which is a challenge I thrive on," Matt says. "Solving a problem for a member is brilliant, because they’ve been struggling with that issue for days, weeks, maybe even months before asking for help. You give them a solution and they are happy. Doing the same thing for several different people every day and receiving great feedback is incredibly satisfying."
While Matt says he almost exclusively answers questions on the site these days, he does confess to having the occasional question of his own; and his fellow Experts always prove to be an invaluable resource when he does. Take for instance, last year when Matt rebuilt from the ground up a 2000 user networks--25 servers--by himself, using entirely Microsoft technologies. Today, he manages those servers himself and on the off-hand chance there should be a problem, he always turns to Experts Exchange:
"The more I learn about anything in IT, the more I realise how much more there is to learn. My free Qualified Expert membership comes in handy anytime I'm stuck on something."
What's next?
After receiving high marks on his GCSEs (an academic qualification awarded to students aged 14-16 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in a number of subjects), Matt decided to aim high in terms of universities to attend. Apparently, he has dead aim. (Are you surprised?) This fall Matt will head to Cambridge University to study Natural Sciences, and he expects Experts Exchange and his knowledge of IT to carry him through his studies.
"(Natural Sciences is) the only subject which has ever been able to explain things to me in enough detail to satisfy my inquisitive mind. While I’m not studying for an IT-related qualification, that isn’t a major problem; Physics and Maths (my next best topic) are so flexible, they can be applied to all manner of industries. I’m certainly expecting my background in the IT industry to play a heavy role in my career path over the next few years."
While Cambridge was never in Matt's master plan, it was the flexibility of the Natural Sciences program and unique, modular curriculum that sealed the deal.
"Cambridge's Natural Sciences curriculum is customisable, and there is the option to switch courses after the first year if necessary (on to Computer Science, for example). Cambridge also has a unique (only matched by Oxford) ‘supervisions’ system for undergraduates in which each student meets in small groups with a professor once or sometimes twice a week. This supplements the lectures and really makes for a one-to-one teaching style; it’s not a traditional system, but it’s a style I very much like and one which everyone claims has worked well."
As for what comes after graduation from Cambridge, Matt is keeping his options open. Luckily, he has no plans to forget about the little people.
"I mean, how could I exclude all the good people from the EE office from my familEE? The last few years have been spent immersed in that environment. All of you are incredibly important to me!"
And it goes without saying that Matt is very important to everyone here at Experts Exchange too. In fact, when I told Experts Exchange Expert mwvisa1 that I was writing this post, he said: "Matt is only two years older than my daughter but I still want to be like him when I grow up." Personally, I couldn't agree more.
-Jenn Prentice
I'd sent over some interview questions for Matt to answer earlier this year, and I felt bad every time I pinged him to ask when he'd be able to answer them. Why? Probably because I knew that in between final exams, Matt was busy answering questions on Experts Exchange, assisting his fellow community volunteers in keeping the site running and managing 20 or so clients that he does consulting work for on technologies like Exchange Server (his particular area of expertise). And oh, did I mention that he's only seventeen years old?
In case you haven't picked up on it yet, the UK born and bred youngster is a genius--and we're not just speaking in terms of Expert certifications. Here's a bit more about Matt, what got him interested in Experts Exchange and where he's headed in the future:
Why is the sky blue?
Born with an inquisitive nature, Matt says this was one of his first questions he asked as a child. From there, his fascination with natural phenomena grew into an incurable love for math, science and the laws of physics; and at age 10, his passion for learning new things paid off when he was moved into secondary school a year early. Exactly one year after that accomplishment (which would have been enough for most kids), Matt built his first server from random hardware components lying around his house and ran Small Business Server 2003 for the family computers.
"Not really knowing what I was up against, I kept breaking the machine, which meant only one thing: I had to learn how to fix it," Matt says. "Fixing something means you need not only understand how it works but also prevent the problem occurring again. I spent a lot of time with my head buried in MS Technet to learn the theory and best practices, but when I needed an answer to fix something NOW, Google kept sending me to Experts Exchange. After EE had solved numerous problems, I asked my parents late one Sunday evening if I could sign up to ‘this helpful website’. I opened a free Expert account and never turned back."
Since that fateful Sunday, Matt has earned 32 Expert Certification, including three at the Genius level (1,000,000 points) for Exchange Server, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 2003 Server.
"Exchange Server is my home and my passion, so I spend most of my time there. Managing Exchange requires a heavy background in the underlying technologies – Active Directory, DNS and networking to name a few – so it’s not uncommon for me to be answering questions in those zones either. I was proud to be the first Expert to hit Genius in the Windows Server 2008 a few years ago; that took some work but was a brilliant milestone to reach in my Expert career," Matt says.
Why Experts Exchange?
In addition to answering nearly 5,000 questions and writing numerous articles, Matt also volunteers as an Experts Exchange Zone Adviser, Page Editor and Cleanup Volunteer. Still, he says he's the one who learns the most from participating on the site.
"Helping folks at Experts Exchange exposes me to situations I might not experience elsewhere, which is a challenge I thrive on," Matt says. "Solving a problem for a member is brilliant, because they’ve been struggling with that issue for days, weeks, maybe even months before asking for help. You give them a solution and they are happy. Doing the same thing for several different people every day and receiving great feedback is incredibly satisfying."
While Matt says he almost exclusively answers questions on the site these days, he does confess to having the occasional question of his own; and his fellow Experts always prove to be an invaluable resource when he does. Take for instance, last year when Matt rebuilt from the ground up a 2000 user networks--25 servers--by himself, using entirely Microsoft technologies. Today, he manages those servers himself and on the off-hand chance there should be a problem, he always turns to Experts Exchange:
"The more I learn about anything in IT, the more I realise how much more there is to learn. My free Qualified Expert membership comes in handy anytime I'm stuck on something."
What's next?
After receiving high marks on his GCSEs (an academic qualification awarded to students aged 14-16 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in a number of subjects), Matt decided to aim high in terms of universities to attend. Apparently, he has dead aim. (Are you surprised?) This fall Matt will head to Cambridge University to study Natural Sciences, and he expects Experts Exchange and his knowledge of IT to carry him through his studies.
"(Natural Sciences is) the only subject which has ever been able to explain things to me in enough detail to satisfy my inquisitive mind. While I’m not studying for an IT-related qualification, that isn’t a major problem; Physics and Maths (my next best topic) are so flexible, they can be applied to all manner of industries. I’m certainly expecting my background in the IT industry to play a heavy role in my career path over the next few years."
While Cambridge was never in Matt's master plan, it was the flexibility of the Natural Sciences program and unique, modular curriculum that sealed the deal.
"Cambridge's Natural Sciences curriculum is customisable, and there is the option to switch courses after the first year if necessary (on to Computer Science, for example). Cambridge also has a unique (only matched by Oxford) ‘supervisions’ system for undergraduates in which each student meets in small groups with a professor once or sometimes twice a week. This supplements the lectures and really makes for a one-to-one teaching style; it’s not a traditional system, but it’s a style I very much like and one which everyone claims has worked well."
As for what comes after graduation from Cambridge, Matt is keeping his options open. Luckily, he has no plans to forget about the little people.
"I mean, how could I exclude all the good people from the EE office from my familEE? The last few years have been spent immersed in that environment. All of you are incredibly important to me!"
And it goes without saying that Matt is very important to everyone here at Experts Exchange too. In fact, when I told Experts Exchange Expert mwvisa1 that I was writing this post, he said: "Matt is only two years older than my daughter but I still want to be like him when I grow up." Personally, I couldn't agree more.
-Jenn Prentice
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Comments
Expert Comment
Expert Comment
Time to brush up on your Punting skills. Congrats.
Expert Comment
Matt,
Fantastic achievement, and now the adventures begin where ever they may lead.
So, off to Cambridge and the opportunity for you to flourish, to grow, and to explore thoughts that most others might be lucky enough to imagine. Who knows what might be acheivable for you. It might lead to some brilliant discovery, or amazing academic celebrity, or simply allows you the chance to do whatever you set out to achieve however humble it may be.
More importantly, for all those people yet to meet you, and those privileged enough to work with you, they are going to benefit from getting to know you. Such is the positive impression you have on people.
And most importantly, have fun my friend, it is certainly going to get interesting :)
Fantastic achievement, and now the adventures begin where ever they may lead.
So, off to Cambridge and the opportunity for you to flourish, to grow, and to explore thoughts that most others might be lucky enough to imagine. Who knows what might be acheivable for you. It might lead to some brilliant discovery, or amazing academic celebrity, or simply allows you the chance to do whatever you set out to achieve however humble it may be.
More importantly, for all those people yet to meet you, and those privileged enough to work with you, they are going to benefit from getting to know you. Such is the positive impression you have on people.
And most importantly, have fun my friend, it is certainly going to get interesting :)
Expert Comment
The whole of EE how has someone to support at The Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race on the 7th April 2012 at 2:15PM GMT.
So, from one Devonian to another, bloody well done Matt. You are an inspiration to us all.
So, from one Devonian to another, bloody well done Matt. You are an inspiration to us all.
Expert Comment
Since the conversation 18 months ago when you mentioned that you were thinking about Cambridge (or, more likely, it was your mom who mentioned it), I knew they'd be foolish not to admit you. And because that particular university does not have a reputation for doing foolish things, I'm not surprised that's where you're heading. I am thrilled for you that you have this amazing opportunity.
Best of luck and I hope our paths cross again in the real world.
Best of luck and I hope our paths cross again in the real world.
Expert Comment
So, other than The Boat Race, we should all be looking forward to seeing Matt on University Challenge.
If you've never seen this, it is an "academic quiz show where teams of students from UK universities answer questions on all manner of subjects".
And they are REALLY diverse subjects.
If you've never seen this, it is an "academic quiz show where teams of students from UK universities answer questions on all manner of subjects".
And they are REALLY diverse subjects.
Expert Comment
Thank you everyone for your comments. They were a pleasant surprise to come home to. Thanks, Jenn, for putting this together and for all the people who have commented for your taking the time to do so. I really appreciate it, and rest assured, I have no intentions of leaving EE any time soon!
P.s. RQuadling - not sure about University Challenge. As you say, the subjects are REALLY diverse, and I really don't know as much as I should about art and some patches in history. I usually manage to answer three questions per half hour show, if I'm lucky!
Expert Comment
Matt,
I knew you were young but never realized you are only 15. Wow!! The future is so bright for you. Keep up the great work and I know you will kick ass in school. On a separate note your blog entry on Windows time is still the best on the net in my opinion.
Study hard and have fun at Cambridge.
See you around
Mike
I knew you were young but never realized you are only 15. Wow!! The future is so bright for you. Keep up the great work and I know you will kick ass in school. On a separate note your blog entry on Windows time is still the best on the net in my opinion.
Study hard and have fun at Cambridge.
See you around
Mike
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by: mattdnguyen on 2011-08-19 at 16:28:29ID: 30804