July 02, 2025
Mizzou Engineers can go anywhere. Armed with advanced technical knowledge, leadership skills and hands-on experience, they are a prize for leading employers across the country. Paul Orton (BS CS ’22) creates web apps that help consumer access the credit they need. He recently took a moment to talk about his path from Mizzou to New York, where he works for American Express.
I do front end web development for consumer card applications.
If you’re applying for a personal Amex card in the United States, you’re using the application my team and I develop. We don’t handle decisioning, so unfortunately, I can’t guarantee any Tigers an approval.
A typical day starts with standup.
We update each other with what we’ve accomplished, what we will focus on next and anything blocking our progress. I spend most of the day writing code, figuring out why it didn’t work, celebrating when it does, testing it and seeking reviews from peers and more senior engineers.
I used to want to design rollercoasters like the ones I grew up riding.
I also loved trying to figure out how things worked. When my cousin introduced me to his Nintendo DS, I was fascinated by what it must take to coordinate the lighting of all those LEDs and translate my button presses into moving my character in a Pokémon game.
Fall semester of senior year, I was applying for jobs anywhere and everywhere
I got a lot of rejections, but I got offers as well. With Amex, I got an interview offer and took part in behavioral and technical interviews, which I felt pretty good about. I added another row in my job hunt spreadsheet and forgot about it until Thanksgiving, when I got a call offering me a position. The next day I went to Casey’s — the only place in my small hometown where I could buy champagne on Thanksgiving — and surprised my family with the news.
Initially I was really excited about the learning.
I loved how I could show my work to just about anyone and explain what I’d contributed. Now, as I’m growing into my career (and still learning) I’m excited about the opportunity to mentor. We used to partner with an organization where we’d teach high schoolers web development basics. Now I try to volunteer to mentor interns and help onboard new full-time engineers. I want to lean into the satisfaction I get from mentoring.
I use the tools Mizzou Engineering gave me every day.
Mizzou Engineering armed me with the technical knowledge I’d need to complete the core functions of a programming role, but more importantly, the College provided me with a great network of peers to lean on and resources to develop my leadership skills.
Get involved.
Go to the career fair starting freshman year. It can seem intimidating, but practice makes perfect. Go with a friend who can hype you up before you talk to a recruiter.
Take part in Engineers’ Week. I was an E-Week co-chair in ’22. Every Mizzou Engineer should feel they can take part in E-Week in some capacity. If you think there’s no space for you there, get involved and change that.
If you’re considering Mizzou Engineering, know that the opportunity is yours for the taking. Whatever program you choose, there will be a great group of students, faculty and staff eager to learn and grow alongside you.
Start a journey that can take you anywhere. Choose Mizzou Engineering!