Manuj Aggarwal

I grew up in a small town in India. A friendly child, my home was troubled. I withdrew into my shell, becoming aloof and angry. At age 15, I started working in a factory where I labored 12 hours/day with only $2 as a daily salary.LAST CHANCE BLOWNReading business magazines in the factory corner, a dream was born. Could I improve my life? Feeling certain I was destined for freedom, for a 15-year old - it seemed like a pipe dream. Education was the only way out. My friends left for college, but I couldn’t afford to pay. Had I blown my last chance?A YEAR’S SALARYIn 1995, a new computer institute threw its doors open in our town. Tuition was greater than a year’s salary, but I scraped together funds for the first class where I found my passion: programming. I met my wife there and we fell madly in love. Our marriage was disapproved of! Ultimately I had to run away from home with only a suitcase full of clothes. After our marriage, we traveled to Canada and started a new life.THE NEW LIFEI had no contacts or resources, but I was determined to improve my life. I realized education and the right training was the only way for me to achieve my goals. Somehow I managed to acquire modest education.From there I went on to become a technical leader and CTO in multiple startups. All this happened because of education and training. So I am very passionate about learning and sharing knowledge.I favor pragmatic solutions over complex ones.I favor scrappiness over lavishness.I favor fast execution over endless deliberation.I favor serving the CUSTOMER over my own desires to build something cool.I favor bending the rules (without breaking them) over abiding by them.I believe in the resiliency and adaptability of the human race, and I know we can overcome any challenge if we work together.