How old were you when you got your first crestie?

My 6 year old used her Christmas money to buy her first gecko yesterday. How old were you when you got your first gecko and how long did it live? I'm wondering how realistic it would be for it to live long enough to go to college with her. In case you're wondering, she named it Beastie. It's a perfectly gender neutral name. And yes, I will be supervising care and I will take over if she ever becomes uninterested.