Upamanyu completed the B.Tech. degree in Civil Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, India, in 2015 and spent four years in college on a campus by the Arabian Sea forming close and life long ties with roommates and wing mates, nurturing kittens in his hostel room, and playing tennis and cricket while continuing with his interest in college level quizzing. His first job was in Pune where he began a new independent working life followed by a stint in Bangalore before leaving for his Masters to the US.