PayPal Stories Archive

 

If you’ve been following the tech industry at all in the last decade or three, then it’s doubtful you’d be surprised to hear that Silicon Valley companies don’t have the most diverse makeup. Actually, that’s being far too euphemistic; tech has been by-and-large a homogenous boys’ club. While women account for 60 percent of the workforce across the US, they comprise merely 29 percent of the tech sector (as reported by CNET May 6, 2016)— and positions of leadership inside tech companies are a mere fraction of that. What’s at the root of this demographic discrepancy?

 

While there are likely a number of reasons, one of the biggest may be the actual practice of writing code. A multitude of programming languages and sublanguages exist – C++, HTML, Java, Javascript, Node.js, SQL, Python, Ruby on Rails – and more are constantly being created. So when a woman takes a break in her career for maternity, to care for a family member, to move, to start her own business, or for any other reason, the job market is almost certain to have drastically evolved by the time she returns. In tech, a résumé gap can have pronounced effects. So what can be done to bridge the gender and experience gap in an industry that lacks diversity and recognizes the need?

 

 

 

That’s precisely the question that led to the creation of PayPal’s Recharge program. A 20-week “returnship,” Recharge takes a cohort of highly-skilled women who’ve taken a break in their careers – many to begin a family – and gives them an opportunity to come back to the workplace at a level befitting their experience. Participants (“Rechargers”) are given real responsibilities and end up making a big impact in their respective teams. This is the key difference between Recharge and an internship: Rechargers aren’t fresh out of college, but skilled women who often have years of valuable real-world experience. During the program, they also attend sessions to learn from leaders throughout PayPal about everything from work/life balance to résumé and cover letter writing. At the end of the 5-months, the program is designed to have Rechargers ramped up and performing at a skill level that’s competitive with the current market.

 

Of course, Recharge promises a ton of value for PayPal, too. By the program’s end, the goal is to extend full-time offers to all of the participants. And increasing the number of women in PayPal’s development teams serves our mission of driving diversity and inclusion. The diversity of thought inside PayPal leads to vital insights and perspectives that better serve the needs of customers worldwide. But that’s just the short-term benefit; the program’s executive sponsor, MJ Austin, explains that the longer term vision for Recharge is to ignite a culture change in both PayPal and the tech industry at large.

 

 

One thing that’s been clear if not surprising from this first Recharge group is that coming back from a career break brings a reignited passion for one’s work. Many of the women have described it as feeling, well, “recharged.” Here’s to hoping that Recharge and the programs it’s sure to inspire will erase the stigma that comes from a career break, and inspire a thoughtful consideration of a healthy work/life balance.

To learn more about the program, check out the TODAY show’s feature on PayPal’s Recharge program.