Bengaluru woman takes her 3.5-year-old son to bank to mark end of Rs 43 lakh debt; recounts journey from year without income to building her own coaching practice

Paying off an education loan can be a milestone in itself, but for Bengaluru-based Arpitha Rao, it marked the end of an eight-year journey shaped by career changes, financial setbacks and motherhood. After clearing her Rs 43 lakh education loan, Rao took her three-and-a-half-year-old son to the bank to witness the moment, hoping to introduce him to the importance of financial independence from an early age.

In a LinkedIn post, Rao shared how she had spent eight years working towards becoming debt-free, a journey that looked very different from that of some of her former classmates at the Indian School of Business (ISB). While several of them managed to repay their education loans within two to four years, it took her considerably longer.

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For Rao, the achievement was not simply about paying back borrowed money. It was also about overcoming circumstances that made the journey more challenging.

Bengaluru woman's journey to financial independence began at 18

Rao revealed that she stopped receiving financial support from her father when she was 18. During her college years, her sister helped her with pocket money and continues to be a source of support.

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She started earning at 22 and gradually took responsibility for her own expenses and, eventually, those of her family. Unlike some of her classmates, she did not have a financial safety net to fall back on while managing her education loan.

What initially started as a loan of Rs 26 lakh eventually increased to Rs 43 lakh. Repaying it became a long-term commitment that continued alongside her professional responsibilities and personal milestones.

"I had a very different starting point," Rao wrote in her LinkedIn post, explaining why her repayment journey took eight years rather than the two to four years it took some of her peers.

Career changes, entrepreneurship and motherhood added to financial challenges

Over the years, Rao worked with three organisations in the impact consulting sector: Sattva, Intellecap and Sagana.

Her professional experience covered several areas, including education, gender, climate, energy transition and circularity. She also worked with funders and organisational leaders across the broader impact ecosystem.

However, her career was not without setbacks. Rao revealed that she experimented with entrepreneurship, experienced a failed venture and encountered difficult partnerships. These experiences gave her lessons about building businesses, choosing the right founding teams and starting over when things did not work out.

Motherhood brought another significant challenge to her financial journey. She disclosed that she went through approximately a year without an income around the birth of her child.

Rao also said that the startup she was associated with did not pay her six months of maternity benefits, adding to the financial pressure during that period.

Despite these challenges, she continued working towards her goal of repaying the education loan. Reflecting on the journey, she described years of building, rebuilding, changing directions and taking risks while continuing to earn.

Why she took her 3.5-year-old son to the bank after clearing the loan

For Rao, having her son present when she closed the education loan was a deliberate decision. She wanted him to witness the milestone rather than simply hear about it years later.

"I wanted him to be there," she wrote, explaining that she hoped he would grow up understanding the importance of earning independently, taking financial responsibility and having the confidence to build a future on his own terms.

However, her son's biggest takeaway from the bank visit was perhaps rather different from what his mother had intended.

While Rao was celebrating the end of an eight-year financial commitment, her little one was fascinated by the security arrangements at the bank.

"For him the highlight of the entire trip for my son was getting to touch the real gun carried by the bank's security guard," she wrote.

The amusing detail added a lighter moment to an otherwise emotional occasion.

Bengaluru woman starts coaching and advisory practice after becoming debt-free

With her education loan finally repaid, Rao is looking towards a new professional chapter. She shared that she is now building her own coaching and advisory practice.

She has also developed a six-week learning programme for professionals working in the impact sector. The programme aims to help participants strengthen their skills in impact consulting, impact investing, impact finance, professional profile positioning and writing.

Through this initiative, she hopes to help other professionals navigate the impact ecosystem and develop their careers.


Inputs from TOI