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Microsoft techie recalls father selling mother's jewellery to pay college fee: ‘Years later, I was earning ₹1.9 crore'
While working at Microsoft's Seattle office, the techie said he was earning ₹1.9 crore a year.
A Bengaluru-based Microsoft techie has shared the emotional story behind his journey to a ₹1.9 crore salary in Seattle, recalling how his father sold his mother's jewellery to pay his college fees when the family couldn't afford even one semester's fees.
In a LinkedIn post, Manu Agarwal, a senior software engineer at Microsoft, shared his family's financial situation during his college days, saying that the situation was so strained that even a semester fee of ₹15,000 was difficult to arrange.
"My father sold my mother's jewellery to pay my BCA fees. ₹15,000 per semester. That's all it cost. But we didn't have it," Agarwal wrote in the LinkedIn post.
The techie recalled watching his mother quietly hand over her gold bangles. "She didn't cry. She just looked at me. I didn't sleep that night," he said.
Years later, while working at Microsoft's Seattle office, Agarwal said he was earning ₹1.9 crore a year. He called his mother and told her to buy back whatever jewellery she wanted. "She said, 'Beta, tere aane se sab wapas aa gaya (Son, you came and I got back everything)'" he wrote, adding, "Some debts aren't financial."
Agarwal concluded the post by dedicating it to people whose families sacrificed for their education. "If you're from a family that sacrificed for your education, this one's for you," he wrote.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Agarwal began his career as a Summer Intern at Microsoft Hyderabad in 2016. Before joining Microsoft full-time, he also interned at GE Healthcare in Bengaluru.
In 2017, he joined Microsoft Hyderabad as a Software Development Engineer before moving to Redmond, Washington, where he worked until 2020. He later spent more than 2 years at Google Bengaluru before rejoining Microsoft in Bengaluru in 2025 as a senior software engineer.
(Also Read: Microsoft techie recalls confronting ex-boss over earning less than IIT peers: 'The painful truth is that...')
Social media reactions
Agarwal's post resonated with many LinkedIn users, who praised his journey and reflected on their own parents' sacrifices.
One user wrote, "This hits incredibly close to home. Behind so many corporate badges and 'success stories' are parents who quietly sacrificed their own comfort and security just to give us a starting line. We can never truly repay them, but we can make damn sure their sacrifices weren't in vain. Truly, some debts aren't financial."
"This is what real success looks like ,the struggles of father and mother, the pressure of a middle-class life, and still choosing to rise. We may have limitations, but we also have the mindset to overcome for our family and for a bigger future. Past problems aren't weaknesses they are the fuel that builds extraordinary outcomes. Respect for this journey!" commented another.
"Truly inspired. All parents deserve this as they put all harden money on their children with the hope one day they become big. It's our duty to feel proud our parents they are not looking our lucrative pay but they want us to successful person in life," wrote a third user.
