For many students, a college scholarship is the beginning of higher education. For developer 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 jewelery to pay for his Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) fees.“₹15,000 per semester. That’s all it costs. But we didn’t have it,” he wrote.According to Agrawal, she watched her mother give away her gold bangles without saying a word. “He didn’t cry. He just looked at me. I didn’t sleep that night,” he said.
A trip designed by education
Agrawal completed his Bachelor of Computer Applications from Bundelkhand University between 2011 and 2014 before pursuing a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) program at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli. He graduated in 2017 with a CGPA of 9.12.During his studies, he studied at Microsoft and GE Healthcare, gaining experience in software development and Internet technologies.
From India to Microsoft in the US
After completing his MCA, Agrawal joined Microsoft as a Software Development Engineer in Hyderabad in 2017. This job marked the beginning of a career that later took him to Redmond, Washington, where he worked on Microsoft products including Bing.
LinkedIn post by Manu
He later joined Google in Bengaluru, helping with Google Pay products, before founding the startup. In July 2025, he returned to Microsoft as a Senior Software Engineer, working on tasks related to artificial intelligence.Reflecting on his journey, Agrawal wrote that years later after seeing his mother part with the jewelry business, he found her working in Seattle and earning around ₹1.9 crore a year.
‘Some debts are not financial’
Agrawal said he finally called home and told his mother he could pay back whatever he wanted.He remembered that his answer stayed with him. “Beta, nothing can happen.”This article is less about salary figures and more about the work families do to make education possible. As Agrawal concluded in his post: “Some loans are not money.”