A Bengaluru-based impact consultant's LinkedIn post gained traction online as she shared how she repaid an education loan worth approximately Rs 43 lakh over eight years, taking her three-year-old son with her to the bank when she finally closed the loan. Arpitha Rao, who had pursued an MBA from the Indian School of Business (ISB), said that she wanted her son to witness the milestone and understand the importance of financial independence.
In the LinkedIn post, Rao described the repayment journey as one marked by professional setbacks, a failed entrepreneurial venture and a period of no income around the time of childbirth. Her story has drawn attention to the financial pressures faced by professionals who fund their higher education through loans and then spend almost their entire careers trying to repay that loan.
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Rao stated that her financial status had always differed from several of her classmates, some of whom were able to repay their education loans within two to four years with family support. "For some of my ISB MBA classmates, paying off their education loans took 2-4 years. They had family support, financial cushions and the privilege of not being the sole breadwinner in their families. I had a very different starting point. My father stopped supporting me financially when I was 18," she stated in her post.
Rao's journey was not without setbacks. She faced multiple difficulties throughout her professional career, including a transition that required her to accept a lower salary. In her post she spoke about learning from difficult partnerships and mistakes in choosing a founding team.
Rao stated that she continued rebuilding her career, changing directions and taking risks while working towards becoming debt free. Her professional journey included working with impact consulting firms such as Sattva, Intellecap and Sagana, with projects spanning across education, gender, climate, energy transition, circularity and the broader impact ecosystem advising funders and org leaders.
When she finally visited the bank in order to close her loan, Rao decided to take her three-year-old son along with her. She said she wanted him to witness the completion of a significant chapter in her life. While her son had already seen her working, coaching and training people, the bank visit was an opportunity to show him what financial independence could mean.
Rao said she hoped he would grow up understanding the importance of earning, building one's own life and creating value. The visit, however, had a memorable highlight for the young child. Rao revealed that her son was particularly excited about getting to touch the real gun carried by the bank's security guard.
Now debt-free, Rao is working towards building her own coaching and advisory practice. In her LinkedIn post, she also mentioned a six-week learning programme for impact professionals, aimed at helping participants develop skills in impact consulting, impact investing, impact finance, professional positioning and writing.
Her story has resonated with professionals who have taken substantial education loans to pursue higher studies. The journey, she said, was about more than repaying a loan. It was about continuing to earn, rebuild and take responsibility for her financial future.
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