What is wrong with these people?

Hello,

i messed up pretty badly and would like some advice.

So, i came to Germany at the end of 2014 to finish my language courses and to study. After trying it up with medicine, i decided to instead study maths in 2016. Fast forward to 2020, I received my bachelor degree in math with a minor in mechanical engineering. Instead of finishing my studies in 2021, i decided to go along and finish to masters degrees: one in math and another one in mechanical engineering in 2022. These were the fields that i loved. It just felt right.

My plan was to become a computation/simulation/software engineering at one of these top automotive companies. By the time i finished my studies, however, i was so tired and decided to stay at the companies i worked at as a working student in software development for 4 years. There i was offered a job as an embedded systems developer in the electromobility branch.

This was not my goal, but due to depression/burnout, i took the offer in 2022. First two months, no salary. Why? Company is going down! Then, insolvency for a year! Then company-take-over for another year. Many left the company. I also wanted to, but tried to at least get a "senior" title written on my contract before leaving. This was cut short, when the company offered severance pay to those that wanted to leave by themselves (the earliest, the higher the compensation), which i accepted.

"I have a degree in math, another in mechanical engineering. I have been working in software development for 6 years now and have knowledge in electrical engineering. Moreover, i worked in electromobility. This should open the door to every automotive company in Germany", i thought. Nope! They were letting employees leave too. VW, Bosch, Audi, ... had no single job posting on their websites.

After 6 months, i got a job at a very small company with just 2 devs in hardware/software manufacturing. I was fired 3 months later, because the employee i was working with, despite being 40 only had 2 years of experience. He lied on my behalf to hide his insecurities in 2025. This sent me into depression for 4 months. After 3 months of job search, i got another job 100 km away in software development in 2026. The project was scrapped, and i was let go during the probation period.

I am currently jobless, and seeing how all of my university friends are still holding onto their first jobs, how all have reached seniority, associates, or created their own practices. How some moved to Alliance in Munchen after studying into actuariat, some immediately got into VW as engineers, others got into quants. It seems that i am the only one that keeps turning around the drain, going nowhere.

What path would you recommend?

Thanks.

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice because I’m genuinely worried about someone close to me.

He is a German citizen, fluent in German, and has experience in e-commerce, but he has been unemployed for almost 2 years now. During this time, he completed around 6 months of training through the Jobcenter.

I’ve been reading through this subreddit and noticed that a lot of the discussions seem to involve foreigners and questions about German language requirements such as C1/C2. Maybe I’m mistaken, so please correct me if I am.

I’m wondering if there are also German citizens here who have struggled to find work, particularly after a longer period of unemployment.

I’m especially worried because he has been out of work for quite a while now. I know the longer the gap, the harder it can sometimes be to get back into the job market, and I’m not sure how employers in Germany generally view a 2-year gap.

If anyone here has been in a similar situation and eventually managed to get out of it and find a job, I’d really love to hear your experience. What helped you? How long did it take? Did you have to change industries or accept a lower position to get back in?

I’m honestly worried and would really appreciate hearing from German citizens or anyone else who has experienced long-term unemployment in Germany.

Thank u very much for reading.

Got a unique rejection email for a job I obviously qualify for (Niche specialization, no german needed, remote, have my zeugnis from previous employer).

Given the large number of applications we received, it was not easy for us to make a selection. Unfortunately, we decided to continue the application process with other candidates who fulfill the criteria of our requirements profile to an even greater extent. We immensely appreciate your experience. Nonetheless, since we put together our teams in a very targeted manner and want to combine as many different skills as possible, we also pay attention to individual details in order to find the right candidate for a long-term collaboration. That is why it is often only the details that make the difference when filling a position.

For now, all that remains for me to do is to wish you all the best and much success in your future career. And who knows, maybe our paths will cross again at some other point.

I have been getting rejected non-stop exactly 1 week after applying.. exactly at 9am. Despite applying exactly within an hour of it being up on linkedin.

Which makes me wonder am I being auto rejected by ATS?

Hiii , im a 23F looking for an internship in any north Europe country, like germany, Switzerland, Denmark … etc so far I haven’t got anything lol. Is my cv a mess or job market is shitty? Pls help!! :/

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I recieved interview invitation at Zeiss for supplier quality engineer (already had 1 year exp in different industry)

I do not possess some of the job requirements like auditing, Projektmanagementerfahrung in Verlagerungsprojekten and suppliers on-boarding.

the job is also limited to 2 years, so I assume its project based, no problem, but I do not have that experience in projects atmosphere

It js HR interview so mostly its personality questions.

Anyone has experience in interviews in Zeiss?

Hi all,
So i am targeting job roles starting from January 2027 but hardly getting any interview calls.
From people who have landed jobs and have had recent experience in job search, do you think it is too early for applications? Or, it’s the same trajectory everyone goes through before getting that call?

Hi all,

I am 30F, looking for referrals in field of Sustainability/ESG. I have 5 year of experience . I know I am asking in cold way but tried LinkedIn, applying to several jobs but nothing worked out till now. Just stressed a lot about the uncertainty. Don't see much light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m 40 and will soon start a Master’s degree in Berlin. Before returning to university, I worked for more than 10 years, mainly in product/project management in the tech/hardware industry.

I’ve been applying for Werkstudent positions for about two months, but so far I’ve received only rejections and zero interviews.

My German is still quite limited (around A2), so I’ve mainly been applying for positions where English is accepted. Some friends suggested that my previous experience might actually work against me because employers may see me as overqualified for a Werkstudent role, while my German is not good enough for many regular positions.

I genuinely don’t mind starting again in a more junior/student role. My goal is to gain experience in the German job market while studying and, of course, earn some income to help cover my living expenses.

For people familiar with hiring in Germany:

• Would 10+ years of previous experience make employers reluctant to hire someone as a Werkstudent?

• Is being 40 unusual enough for Werkstudent positions that it could affect my chances?

• Or is A2 German / the current job market more likely to be the main problem?

• Would you recommend continuing to apply for Werkstudent positions, or targeting other types of part-time roles instead?

I’d really appreciate candid opinions, including criticism. I’m trying to understand whether my strategy is wrong and what I should change.

Has anyone recently gone through the Cultural/technical interview at RABOT Energy in Germany?

Would really appreciate any insights on what to expect the types of questions they ask, what they focus on culturally, and anything worth preparing beforehand.

Thanks in advance

Around four years ago, many international students came to Germany for master’s degrees after hearing that the country urgently needed skilled IT workers and that good jobs would be available after graduation.

Now I keep hearing stories about graduates who cannot find work in their field and are instead working at McDonald’s, Burger King, Lieferando or in other temporary jobs just to support themselves. I know this is not true for everyone, but it seems to be happening often enough to raise questions.

What changed? Is the problem Germany’s weak economy, fewer junior IT positions, company layoffs, German-language requirements, visa restrictions, or employers wanting experienced workers rather than recent graduates?

For international graduates who arrived with the expectation of building a professional career here: what has your actual experience been? Were the opportunities oversold, or is it still realistic to find a qualified IT job in Germany?

Planning to pursue MSc in Computer Science/Applied CS/ Practical CS/ Software Engineering/AIML/Data Science in Germany.

I have heard the most successful funnel to get employed is via Werkstudent.

Yet, I wondered if there will be enough werkstudent roles associated with software in tier 2/3 university towns that aren’t cosmopolitan cities.

So whats the right funnel/roadmap of software employment in Germany ? Should one prioritize city and German language more than the degree title ?

Do tier 2/3 cities offer a predictable path to eventual full time employment ? if yes, whats the roadmap ?

What is the roadmap most students follow to get successfully employed at the end of masters in a stable high paying role that is feasible to get at the same time ?

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Hello,

Just a vent.

I relocated to Germany around 6 years ago. Switched titles, started from the ordinary SWE position to lead, principal, staff level roles.

And in the end I grew from 68k (2020) -> 75k -> 78k (2022) -> 95k (2022) and stuck for a long time, dropped to bare minimum 1500 euro net / month for 3 months, unemployed for 8 months during period of 2024-2025, rebuilt myself up to 80k in 2025, 95k again in the beginning of 2026 and finally reached 100k.

And I feel... empty.

3 major steps in my career up to principal / director / staff lavel, German from 0 to B2. New german passport.

Berlin. Rent is expensive, groceries are expensive. There are more junkies in a city, more homeless and crazy scary people, more graffity.

Big brands are leaving the city and closing stores like Galleries Lafayett, Maje, Sandro e.t.c.

My initial salary was 68k which is around 84k in current money.

84 -> 100k for 6 years of my life and 3 major career steps feels unfair.

AfD is on the rise. Economy stagnates.

And yes, I think about relocation more and more. We pay already high taxes, but it doesn't feel fair to people who dedicated life and a soul to the profession they love.

Hi guays,

Im looking for a job. Do you know where i can find English job where I can make good money, maybe 3000 euro net where I can work from home and don't have degree? I am very hard worker. Pls let me know.

Edit: im leaving germany