New Delhi, Dec. 29 -- A senior director at Microsoft has struck a chord on social media after sharing a deeply personal account of her unconventional journey-one marked by repeated setbacks, financial stress and self-doubt-before eventually rising to leadership roles at some of the world's biggest technology companies.

In a candid post, Priyanka Vergadia revealed that she failed to crack the IIT entrance exam not once, but twice-an experience she described as devastating at the time. Determined to become an engineer, the tech leader eventually enrolled in a non-IIT engineering college, even as peers moved ahead on more traditional paths.

Her challenges did not end there. After graduating in 2009, she moved to the United States for gradu...