For many students, a college fee receipt marks the beginning of higher education. For software engineer Manu Agrawal, it came with a sacrifice he says he has never forgotten.In a recent LinkedIn post, Agrawal recalled how his father sold his mother’s jewellery to pay his Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) fees.“₹15,000 per semester. That’s all it cost. But we didn’t have it,” he wrote.According to Agrawal, he watched his mother hand over her gold bangles without saying a word. “She didn’t cry. She just looked at me. I didn’t sleep that night,” he said.
A journey shaped by education
Agrawal completed his Bachelor of Computer Applications from Bundelkhand University between 2011 and 2014 before securing admission to the Master of Computer Applications (MCA) programme at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli. He graduated in 2017 with a reported CGPA of 9.12.During his studies, he interned at Microsoft and GE Healthcare, gaining experience in software development and web technologies.
From India to Microsoft in the US
After completing his MCA, Agrawal joined Microsoft as a Software Development Engineer in Hyderabad in 2017. The role marked the beginning of a career that later took him to Redmond, Washington, where he worked on Microsoft products including Bing.
LinkedIn post made by Manu
He subsequently joined Google in Bengaluru, contributing to features for Google Pay, before co-founding a startup. In July 2025, he returned to Microsoft as a Senior Software Engineer, working on artificial intelligence-related features.Reflecting on his journey, Agrawal wrote that years after watching his mother part with her jewellery, he found himself working in Seattle and earning a salary of around ₹1.9 crore a year.
‘Some debts aren’t financial’
Agrawal said he eventually called home and told his mother she could buy back whatever she wanted.Her response, he recalled, stayed with him. “Beta, tere aane se sab wapas aa gaya.”The story is ultimately less about salary figures and more about the role families often play in making education possible. As Agrawal concluded in his post: “Some debts aren’t financial.”
