software engineer

senior software engineer

customer service representative

senior product manager

data scientist

PayPal

Upon being hired at PayPal with an offering of $12.25 per hour back in 2013 I thought to my self "Wow this is a great company, with great pay!" boy was I wrong. 

As my time at PayPal progressed I started realizing a lot of what I was turning a blind eye to before.  I was hired to be in the "general" customer service department, you know help with what you can, and then route the other calls to their appropriate departments so that trained employees in those departments can assist.

As time went on however managers began to demand that instead of you routing calls to different departments that you actually handle these calls yourself. Preposterous! I thought, you did not train (nor did you hire) me to do this "Well use your resources" managers would say referring to a centralized "hub" of information.  

But here was the catch - the new implementations that PayPal set forth and the managers who tried to enforce them told me that by all means necessary (other than transferring them to the department they needed to go to) that I needed to assist the customer who was again calling in for a different department, with a complaint, concern, or question that I've never heard of before while stumbling through "my resources" that I needed to take care of the caller in the same time frame that it would take me to assist customers with issues in which I've been WELL versed.

Didn't make sense to me but I needed my job and enjoyed my $900 or so bi-weekly check.  Plus the health insurance (I'll give you that PayPal) was top notch (because you developed ulcers, and stress related medical issues related to your job but I digress).

Anyways as more time progressed while working at PayPal lots, and lots of changes became an every day occurrence. (Speaking of occurrences don't ever get sick here, you get occurrences  "points" on your file when you call out and could get fired go figure).  PayPal was basically stacking more, and more work that I had to complete on the call in an allotted time frame - whether that be offers for credit, assisting customers in making their first transaction, and rushing customers off of the phone while simultaneously making them feel like I assisted them so that I could get a good customer rating.  What a conundrum huh? Would you give a customer service representative a 5 start rating if they rushed you off of the phone? Didn't think so.  Yet I was still held accountable to that metric, and the other 10 or so.

In addition to me taking calls for different departments of which I wasn't trained to do (imagine how smart I sounded putting people on hold for extended periods of time to locate answers to their questions when I could've just gotten them to the department that they originally called about and they could've been on their merry way), PayPal became very forceful and told me that they ARE going to train me (voluntold was a very popular phrase thrown around a lot at PayPal by upper management) to learn how to add additional metrics (ways to make the company more money) to my phone handle time.  "Oh goody" I thought the first few times "I'm going to get a raise!" I mean it would only make sense, since they were training me to do something else against my will right? WRONG! 

It didn't matter if I did or did not want to sit through an hour (or more) long training of dry material that I had no interest in learning so that I could learn how to do someone else's $20.00+ an hour job, just to keep my job. But I did as I was told because I did not have an option at that time. And in case any one is curious I have a Bachelor's degree, as do many others that work for PayPal just to offset any argument about me going to school to be able to advance in my career at PayPal. Your education doesn't matter at PayPal - no really a manager told me that.

The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when they started  raising the metrics to be even higher so high that even the floor manager and their manager's probably couldn't reach them and then writing up and firing people GOOD people who couldn't obtain those goals! People who showed up to work every day, people who got good customer service ratings but maybe weren't the fastest, or transferred calls because the customer asked to be transferred, basically for reasons out of the employee's control.

I was written up several times.  It became so bad to the point where I developed a lovely stress knot in the back of my neck (from a call center job) because I felt that I was giving it my all but it still wasn't good enough, and I didn't know what else to do.  So I did what any other sane person who cares about their health, and thinks that they deserve more (compensation; joy of life) for performing the job of 10 departments (all of which are in the same building might I add), I started looking for something else, hence why I am posting as a former employee. 

As for professionalism, or lack there of I should say, I gave PayPal my 2 weeks notice like a professional would, and was advised that I would receive my exit interview but wouldn't you know that the manager never gave me one! And continued to walk past me until my last day. Ah well.

If you need work (temporarily) then yes PayPal might work for you, but to avoid being burnt out (including your voicebox because you're forced and micromanaged every moment of your shift to take back to back calls some days 80+, and then reprimanded if you need an extra break outside of your scheduled break but let's be real taking 80+ back to back incoming phone calls dries out your mouth, which makes you thirsty, which makes you need water which makes you need to use the restroom which is a no-no at PayPal), and you absolutely love someone being over your shoulder every moment of every day asking what you're doing, why you're not on a call, and why you're using After Call Work for AFTER CALL WORK (Yes this is a real thing) then PayPal might be the right work environment for you.

Good luck!

I dont know how PayPal is today, but I worked there between 2014-1016. To this day I still brag about them to others I work with and always use them as an example. Other peoples experiences could very well be different. But for me it was a really great place. The atmosphere was great and happy. Windows were everywhere so it helped make you feel happy. People always had their desks decorated and the walls were decorated, it almost felt like being in kindergarten again. Silly I know but I loved it. There was several break rooms on each floor and they always provided free coffee and creamers to employees. They offered a lot of overtime especially around the holidays. It was easy to get too. You go into a website and choose what days and time you want and that was it. Just show up. You could also check the website for VTO (voluntary time off) no need for permission if it was in there you could take it, same with the overtime. We had 15 minute stand ups every morning with an hour meeting every day. Management was always willing to help if they noticed an employee struggling with anything, they were always well educated on how to help employees and they took the time to listen to you and your needs and figured out what to do. They own their own building and have a gym equipped with a trainer, and fully stocked bathrooms with showers and provided towels, a blow dryer and shampoo and conditioner and body wash. They have a great cafeteria with awesome food and cooks. Lots of giant fridges and lots of microwaves. They have a game room with pool (not a swimming pool), couches, computer and more. My training for basic customer service I think was 7-8 weeks. The trainer was great and fun. The benefits were the best Ive ever had, it was copay plan and I never had to pay anything with when I went to the doctor I only paid my co pay. The dental plan was delta dental and they are great. I had to go on short term disability and whoever they used at the time was very informative and told me everything I needed to do and what to expect. They were understanding and never bothered me during my disability time. They have front row parking for pregnant moms. They have lots of parking including covered garages. Probably the best thing they offered that I haven't seen anyone else do is they offered "shadowing" if you were curious about another department and your metrics looked good, they would allow you to do side by sides with other coworkers in another department to shadow them and see what it is like. This way you didn't get into a position you wernt happy with. The only reason I left is because of outside sources effecting my life. I left on a good note and if my location would allow me I would go back. I have bragged about this place in every position I have been in. It really was a great place to work.

•	Tech Lead/Lead Developer with 10+ years of experience in Application Analysis, Design, Development, Integration, deployment and Maintenance/Support for Web, Enterprise  based Software Applications in BNFS domain and financial domain
•	Rich work exposure in software development with responsibilities as Software Engineer, Project Leader, Team Leader, Team Member and Onsite Coordinator.
•	Excellent work exposure to Software Design and Development for Private Wealth Management systems, Corporate Card Products, Merchant Database Management, Loan Trading, Online statement repository  in BNFS space during my assignments with AMEX, DEUTSCHE BANK, Citi Bank, MIZHUO CORPORATE BANK, STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, OHIO INSURANCE.
•	Excellent background in developing application using Springs core, Springs DAO, Springs Annotations, Java Code Refactoring, SOA architecture, Springs Web services(SOAP and Restful), Springs AOP, Apache CXF 2.5.4, Mule ESB, Maven build, Jenkins jobs, WSRR, TC Server, Mule server, STS IDE 2.8, Creating and deploying wsdl files, Creating service Contracts using WSRR, Debugging, RCA.
•	Coding Standards and coverage using Check style , Emma plugins of Maven and Sonar tools
•	Coded JUnit for Emma coverage using springs JUnit, EasyMock, PowerMock.
•	Excellent background in developing applications using Java 1.4, Java 1.5, Java 1.6, J2EE 2.5, Struts 1.1, 1.2, JAXB,  on BEA WebLogic Application Server, WebSphere Application Server (WAS),  XML, JNDI, Apache Tomcat, JDBC and various Databases like Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL server.
•	Very good understanding and implementation knowledge of Data structure and Algorithm
•	Strong experience on various development environments like IBM RAD, Visio, Eclipse, MyEclipse.
•	Accompanied by strong programming skills in Java, Servlets, JSP, and JavaScript.
•	Experience in open frameworks like Struts and spring and reusable Business component design 
•	Worked extensively on build and deployment tools like Maven and version control using Rational Clearcase, CVS and Visual Source Safe.
•	Thorough understanding of Object Oriented Methodology, UML and Design Patterns.
•	As a Senior Software Engineer/ Tech Lead, worked extensively with Client’s team to design and architect a highly demanding Web Environment for a financial client.
•	Expertise in OOAD Technologies developing Use Cases, Sequence Diagrams and Class Diagrams using case tools like UML/Rational Rose 2000.
•	Extensive experience with XML with JAXP, SAX & DOM parsers, Internet & Distributed Technologies.
•	Excellent experience on J2EE patterns, N-Tier architecture, MVC architecture WebLogic 8.0, 9.2, WebSphere App Server6.0, RAD 7.0, 7.5

A typical day begins with merchants calling with problems pertaining to their account. PayPal generates their own calls by holding funds, restricting accounts and initiating limitations. Compliance equal control and improve perceived security. That's a good thing. Every call is a new experience. Literally. 

The hardest part of the job is seriously wanting to help the customer but being on minute by minute, every word you speak scrutinized. There are multiple systems that tweak handle times so the supervisors can manipulate the data to either praise or humiliate you as a human being. Which is wrong on so many levels. 

They use surveys to gage whether or not an agent is productive or not even when in fact their back end software is not cooperating. And so many agents are experts at pass the trash assistance causing those that truly care about customer concerns to appear lack luster and therefor non-interested. Which is not the case. Think about that though, the breeze by agents are rewarded but the by the 3rd or 4th call the customer is perturbed big time. So, if you cannot resolve the customer issue because of a whole host of system generated issues then your screwed. Try contacting their  Merchant Technical Support by phone. You can't. They use a ticketing service and you guessed it, the customer never provides enough information, therefor they are closed out and never resolved. That's not a positive thing when your a large money mover, they use a payment processor, they are not bank or processor. A facilitator. 

KDI is what is esteemed, perceived satisfaction is the goal. 

Managers believe that if your not continuously seeking change of experience or expertise or applying for other positions, your stagnant and not a  driven employee and that is simply not the case. Some prefer to maintain and refine their careers. Kids these days. 

If your happy making less than 7% more after several years of customer service and you can dodge the cutbacks that seem to surface every 3 or 4 years, great. It's a good stepping stone but if you are seeking financial security to raise a family, think twice. 

A proven fact, " When they are hiring, they are firing." And when a company will contract a busing company, or Uber, or taxi service to pick you up and drive you to work and there is chance they are desperate because they have overused the community for which they employ or have employed.  If, they like you then you'll be fine until they mention "change", we have to embrace change. That means they are inherently seeking a change of employees, Be aware.

The interview process was quite overwhelming.  Once hired, they welcome you with open arms. Send you a "Welcome Aboard" card. First day, they hook you up with PayPal gear and free meals in the cafe'. The New Hire training is 7 weeks long.  First few weeks is telling you all about PayPal and the new great benefits you have acquired starting that 1st day. Health insurance,  life insurance,  401k...the greatest benefits package ever. Affordable too. They have all their supervisors and head honchos that have been there for years come in and tell you about their journey at PayPal, they really talk it up. There are some really great people that work there. The stories are amazing and give you a lot of hope of building a career there. Once on the floor taking password reset calls. You learn what the metrics really are. Once they "upscale" (promote) you to another segment(department) you are thrown back into a classroom and get 4 weeks of overwhelming training, never quite getting it all and your given a team of "mentors" to help you on those first few times on the phone.  Many times, those mentors never even took a call in that department your training for. Once in your new role, you are thrown on the phone and held to even tougher metrics and be careful with those transfers. Even if your getting transfers from all over the globe,  even from eBay (just because eBay can) and just from other teammates that don't know what their doing, your just trying to get the customer in the right place and stop the poor customer at their 8th transfer. You will be held accountable. They want you to tell the customer you "resolved" their issue bc the customer gets a survey that you are held to as well. None of it is fair. For the teammates or the customers. Be careful not to be too good bc they will search for that one call you royally screwed up on and bully you in a room and prepare to terminate you over one mistake. Nevermind that you've been a superstar in your position at all. They preach work/life balance. But that isn't the case at all. There is no room for advancement,  unless you're willing to give up evenings and weekends with your children. The only thing great about working at PayPal is the benefits and the amazing fellow teammates, that you WILL form beautiful friendships with. This is one of those companies that it's a good "in between" job. Look elsewhere. Many of my friends made there and I all wish we'd of looked elsewhere. Hind sight is 20/20.

I’ve been with PayPal collections for a year. I truly enjoyed my job and the challenge it provided. Until the ridiculously changes started happening. 
While change is inevitable when your told two different things that contradict in the same sentence and then told if you don’t do something correctly and you fail your bonus is taken away, it leaves a terrible taste.  
The lack of communication from top to the agents taking calls is absolutely terrible. We aren’t told things until the day of or the day before when management knew for MONTHS. There is no true collaboration with the agents taking calls and the management. 
There was so many times I heard the phrases “I am scared to do my job because I don’t know if it’s right or not” and “ I don’t know what I am doing because no one has a right answer” coming from tenured agents because of the insane amount of back and forth between policies and the grey areas.  

The absolute lack of advancement is a killer. It’s not based off of true performance, but off of who you know and how well you kissed up. 
Whatever you do, don’t mention anything potentially negative or offer a different perspective or solution to a problem,because that will not gain you any kind of true points. Now your on a list and say goodbye to moving up no matter how good your numbers are and your work ethic is. 

The life work balance is a joke. In order to make ends meet you have to work overtime and bonus. But if you make a mistake and fail a call you’ve lost your bonus. After a year of being a top agent I got a .35 cent raise. I could quit and get rehired at a higher rate. 

This is a typical call center now. Churning out agents to make money for the company. The benefits are great I really enjoyed the onsite dental services. The cafe downstairs is amazing and the inclusion for the different groups is good as well. 

But that is about it. It’s a good job for experience, but not to move up on the company. 

Upper management needs to get it together.  It’s like you are running around with your heads cut off.  It doesn’t instill confidence in leadership nor does it make the agents who look to you for guidance feel confident in doing their job.

PayPal has great benefits and one of the most positive and inclusive work atmospheres I've ever worked for. The people are amazing and generally care for one another. 

The work however, is tedious busy work that doesn't live up to the expectations they hype you for. 

Management is very condescending; 
The term "higher-brained thinking" was often used by regional managers to describe the benevolent brilliance of their Corporate Overlords and explain-away employees with thoughtful concerns or questions during monthly all-hands meetings. 

You are told from the get-go that things "are always changing" and I think that's true; mostly because no one in leadership has any clue what the other leaders do. Leadership does NOT actively or meaningfully communicate with each other unless something is broken, and they are NEVER straight-forward with anything to their employees.  

PayPal brags about being innovative but only promotes the ideas of complacent yes-men they can directly profit from, and fails to achieve even basic functionality with its systems a lot of the time. Every system used is buggy and either half-built or half shut-down. Tech-issues keep people out of doing work for hours at a time, sometimes longer.  

The minute you think for yourself or question management you are in the wrong.
The minute you catch up and get a sense of direction, everything changes, arbitarily and with no notice and little direction/resolution.

Individuality is only celebrated here as long as it helps them save face.  PayPal does a lot of excellent PR headlining stunts, but those are only for show.

The only genuine thing about PayPal is its frustration of its users; and with their secretive, clueless leadership team, that won't ever get better. 

PayPal does a very good job of putting on the facade of the "perfect employer", but in the end, only cares about lining the pockets of its board members and corporate elite. 

• Architect and maintain enterprise Windows Server environments (2008–2022), defining configuration standards and improving system reliability across large-scale production systems.  • Administer enterprise Active Directory including domain controllers, Group Policy, DNS/DHCP, replication, and identity lifecycle management.  Page 1 of 3 • Manage Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Proofpoint email security including mailbox administration, mail flow, and security policy enforcement.  • Support hybrid infrastructure including VMware virtualization, file services, storage systems, and enterprise backup/recovery platforms.  • Manage enterprise backup and disaster recovery using Veeam and Symantec Backup Exec, ensuring data protection and system recoverability.  • Administer Palo Alto firewalls and security controls including traffic filtering, access policies, and perimeter security enforcement.  • Support SQL Server environments including backups, patching, monitoring, and availability management.  • Automate system administration and operational workflows using PowerShell scripting.  • Provide advanced troubleshooting across Windows Server, networking, and messaging systems in hybrid enterprise environments.  • Manage WSUS, endpoint protection, and patch compliance to maintain enterprise security posture.  • Support Cisco network infrastructure including routers, switches, VLANs, and enterprise connectivity services.  • Administer HP ProLiant Gen8/Gen9 servers including installation, configuration, patch management, monitoring, troubleshooting, and hardware lifecycle support.  • Perform datacenter operations including server racking/stacking, cabling, power management, access control systems, and hardware maintenance within enterprise environments. 

I worked at PayPal for 11.5 years and loved almost every minute. I worked in content management on a relatively small team. Even though we were a global team, we were like family. I only had 3 managers in the 11 years, which says A LOT about our team. The work/life balance was one of my favorite perks. I was never micromanaged. If I needed to take an afternoon off to take care of personal things, it was never an issue. As long as I met my deadlines and made my meetings, everything was golden. Other benefits included 401k matching, gifted stock shares, and a 4 week paid sabbatical for every 5 years of service. I also had the opportunity to travel to Dublin, Ireland more than once, such was awesome. I'd still be with the company, if I hadn't been effected by the layoffs in May of 2022. The only reason I won't give them 5 stars is because of how my layoff was handled. For how many years I devoted to them and how involved I was, it was very cold. I also believe in my heart (as do other members of my team) that I was targeted due to the fact that I used my most recent sabbatical (February 2022) to voluntarily check myself into rehab for alcohol addiction. They knew this because I chose to share it with my team leader, who was also a close friend. I was an integral part of the team, had never received an annual review that was less than "meets expectations" and had never once been talked to about my performance. I didn't even use company time to make myself healthier, which I very well could have done. Of course my director denied it on the separation call, but she is very conservative and judgey. Additionally, the company promised to pull any personal documents off my laptop and send them to me within 6 weeks and I never got them. I've been pushing the issue and just keep getting blown off. Very disappointing end to my career with PayPal. 

With the exception of inconsistent upper management objectives, and poor inter-segment relations, in retrospect, this should have been a far more pleasant employment environment then what it proved to be.

The flexibility afforded employees was considerable, complete with shift options, and lateral, as well advancing, positions.

A typical day involved the receipt of calls from personal and business account holders from the Australian and New Zealand markets to resolve their partial and full account limitations/restrictions, the resolutions of which proved additionally difficult due to the consistently poor relations amongst support segments.

The culture made for some peculiar work relationships, but overall, many of my teammates, especially the more recent ones, were quite a joy to work with.  NOTE:  In my segment, there was a consistently high turnover - always having new hires, and the promise of new hires.

The hardest part of the job was having to provide "talking-points" to vehemently angry customers when there were no reasonable explanations for why their accounts were restricted, AND why the restrictions could not be resolved.

The most enjoyable part of the job was many of my teammates, and my team lead; these were some wonderful people.

What I mostly learned was how to creatively, and successfully service and resolve many extraordinary customers who had extraordinary challenges facing them due to inaccessibility to their personal and business accounts; the most challenging AND rewarding, satisfying, were the business accounts, because of the diversity of challenges that were often associated with resolving their account issues.

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