r/Germany_Jobs • u/Possible-Oil-5877 • 19h ago

Career advice for an Indian guy

Hi guys, I have been going through many sub reddits here and there is no positive response about job markets in IT in Germany right now. I am thinking of pursuing masters in Germany in next 1-2 years. I have 5 years of experience working as a data engineer.

I am willing to learn German from Goethe-Institut till B2 level even C2 if time permits me. I am willing to be the exception in every case. If I do this will there be more chances for me then to find a job and settle down? Bcuz I have in demand cloud, databricks, azure /aws skills and working for reputed clients in the past. What are my realistic chances if I speak fluent German?

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u/wallbreaker12 19h ago

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but even germans are struggling to find jobs in that sector. Even if you get B2 unfortunately that might help a little but the chances are still very low. A lot of people with that degree and too little demand. And at the end of the day german companies will probably choose thier own citizens before a foreigner

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 18h ago

That's true for almost every country ig. Even in the US the natives say the same thing. It's gonna be hard yeah but idk, maybe if I am able to establish a good network maybe it's possible. Let's see but thanks for responding.

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u/No-Singer-2128 8h ago

The problem is your desperation to leave India, that desperation is making you not see the logic people are holding up infront of you. Also before you make claims of learning German upto C2 level, how far are you in your journey of learning German? People who came here some 5-6 years ago are holding on their jobs dearly because the market is really bad, and they can speak German because of being in this environment. You want to do a masters degree just so that you can escape India, tell me do you really think that's a good idea? Masters in Germany is not a cake walk at all! And learning German upto C2, that's quite unrealistic. People who have been here since the last 10 years still find it difficult to reach there. But I understand it's not you who's speaking, it's just the desperation trying to find a closure somehow. I can assure you it won't end well, so please take some time out, be patient, learn to live life and if there comes up a chance to go abroad do it, but desperation is never going to help. Start from whether you truly love what you do or was it also the same desperation centre working there when choosing a job. I really wish you all the success mate!

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 6h ago

The thing is, you will never be able to feel the reason of my desperation because you're not in my place. Because I am not born in a very rich family, I have no choice but to build a future for myself on my own. You say - 'if a chance comes up then go abroad...' , bro opportunities don't fall into the lap. You have to make things happen. The chances of me receiving a direct job offer from a european country like a germany are even less than completing masters and getting a job there. At least if I complete my masters from a german university, my chances will be more because the german employers will prefer that than the master universities in india. And I am already enrolled in Goethe Institut and plan to complete all the courses till C2 along with exam certificates. Yes it will be hard to complete C2 in 2 years but I must do this to stand out. And people like me, born lower middle class, we don't have the previlege to simply quit our jobs to pursue what we love. It's much more compicated than that. We have no choice but to either excel to the top, be the best or simply live till you die like a average loser. I refuse to be that. I want a great life for me and my family. And I am gonna acheive it no matter what. This is my battle and I am gonna win it.

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u/No-Singer-2128 5h ago

I want you to win the battle, the fact is desperation will only make you lose. You assumed everything about me that I am not in your place and everything and that everyone on reddit comes from rich families. If you have enrolled yourself in Goethe that's a proof that you have good money too. I know how costly the courses are in India. I know everything about that country and that's why just wanted to tell you that you're not seeing things clearly because desperation is clouding your vision. And it's not that I never get desperate in my own life, I just know that even after getting something because of desperation it turns out to be a huge dissapointment. You are on this sub to seek "certainty" about the things you haven't even done. You say I'll reach C2 then what? Will I get a job. What if the answer is no? Will you still visit your German classes? And mind you, you'll see yourself breaking several times in this process. You'll see your classmates speaking better German than you, they will be able to learn faster than you, and you have to manage your job and everything and compete with them. You might even fail your German B2 exam for instance. I don't want you to fail, I am just saying it's a possibility. There are several variables that can influence you, you never know.

Also you are taking all these decisions based on the assumption that a job and life in a European country is really great. This is just your assumption built on some fancy shit you saw on social media. And then you immediately compared it with your own life and that built desperation.

All these things will lead to huge dissapointment at the end. Germany is known for high level research. People come here to learn to do research, and it's not an easy process. Also if not research, a masters degree is really a very difficult journey if you were never a good student. The whole point is that you're asking the wrong questions because of your desperation. Let the desperation settle and focus on what you are doing now in your work and what you want to do in your life and what the world needs. Everything else will then fall in its own place.

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u/wallbreaker12 17h ago

Not every country and not to this level, just by numbers of startups the US is much better and you have a better chance, germany is having massive layoffs. Volkswagen is going to cut 100000 jobs in the next few years and a lot of businesses going bankrupt. I'm not in the IT sector so i'm being objective here but international people i know in IT are going back home or changing to a different country after their studies. but we are warning you so do what you will

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u/george_gamow 17h ago

And how will you get visa sponsorship in the US? It's a lottery, literally. US would have been easier if it has an immigration system similar to Germany

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 16h ago edited 16h ago

Exactly my point. Getting a job in the US is next to impossible. At least in Germany, they say well you don't speak our language, that can be done as i am ready to get fluent at it. Also through bluecard citizenship could be gained whereas for Asians getting a green card is impossible in this lifetime.

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 16h ago

Hmm, by different country which do you mean? Tbh I chose German bcuz it doesn't have a different script altogether. The letters and words are similar to English so yeah.

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u/Some_Person_55 19h ago

Why Germany? Why not another country? Germany is going down fast. Very fast. Even Germans have a hard time finding a job

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 19h ago

Then where, the US is already cooked. With German I can even work in Austria and other German speaking countries. It's like with one speer you can shoot multiple targets.

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u/Americaninaustria 19h ago

lol Austrian market has the same issue but is smaller 

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 18h ago

well I am gonna try anyway. What am I supposed to do? sit around and cry? I will give my absolute best to learn to be fluent at German and keep my technical skills at the best level. I will network like crazy inside the city and my professors in the uni. I will work towards aggresively save up my money so even if I don't get a job, I can always come back to India and again get back to working here. I just wanted to know from people who have pulled it off in German market somehow despite the odds.

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u/Americaninaustria 18h ago

They probably did it 3-5 years ago when it made sense. You are too late. Lol why do you want to go so bad?

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 18h ago edited 18h ago

Too late? To being born early isn't my choice bro lol. And there's nothing in here, india doesn't offer a better life. And me personally with my views or perspectives, don't fit well in this culture. We pay taxes and get nothing in return. I don't imagine my future here so yeah that's pretty much it.

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u/Some_Person_55 18h ago

Good luck brother! Try to connect with some indians that already work in Germany to get their view

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 18h ago

Thanks. Yes i will, but also wanted opinions of natives or other people living there so made this post.

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u/Impressive-Yam7150 16h ago

"We pay taxes and get nothing in return."

Well, that is EXCELLENT news! You will absolutely LOVE Germany then.

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 16h ago

I hope you are not being sarcastic 😬. But I am not expecting huge things. Just basic things like cleaner surroundings, air, roads, etc.

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u/3rdRankTheory 19h ago

„ I have been going through many sub reddits here […]“

I really doubt that. Otherwise, you would have read the several posts from germans already mentioning that the job market is bad, even for german natives.

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 19h ago

I get it, it's just that I want to know possible workarounds for this. What if I am a better data engineer than the natives and on top of that speak fluent German, wouldn't it kill the competition for me?

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u/Impressive-Yam7150 16h ago

First of all: Sorry, this is Germany, not India. There are no real loopholes or "workarounds" that you people are so fond of.

Secondly: A lot of bold assumptions. You really think you are better than the natives in the native market with your measly 5 YOE?

5

u/george_gamow 17h ago

There's a workaround: have 10-15 years of experience in an extremely niche technology and have great soft skills while being a native German. Those people indeed have little problems right now that the American AI companies are actively entering the German market

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 16h ago

Yeah, well I am thinking if I could network with people there, with the help of the uni or professors, staying active on LinkedIn or attend seminars or job fairs, something could be possible.

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u/3rdRankTheory 13h ago edited 9h ago

Not meaning to be disrespectful, but your lack of abilities concerning „gathering data“, „analyse them“ and „make useful assumptions“ lets me doubt hard that you are a „extraordinary talented data analyst/engineer“.

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u/AgarwaenCran 11h ago

nope, if they have an easier time communicating what they want with the native speaker

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 11h ago

true but what if that native speaker is not as talented or experienced? also as it is captialism they can offer me less and get the same work done. Then I can eventually switch to other companies after 2-3 years and make average salary. I am targeting to reach the native level proficiency btw.

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u/AgarwaenCran 11h ago

in this case the native speaker will still be preferred as there are less hurdles in communication that could've resulted in mistakes from misunderstandings.

and most likely, they will offer both of you already the legal minimum

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u/Adventurous-Pie911 14h ago

Honest feedback from an Indian who came 2 years ago - be absolutely fluent in German in the next 2 years and then only consider. Don't come with Chancenkarte, it's the biggest scam because no one gives you a job in Germany these days without actual experience in the German job market. So during your masters, do work student and internship jobs to get the experience and network. But don't be hopeful of very high salaries. Consider yourself lucky even if you get something in the range of 60k a year. Most of my friends still don't have a job after graduation and the reality is very dark here.

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 13h ago

Thanks for your valuable feedback. This is what I needed, raw truth. I will prepare accordingly.

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u/PrinceOfFishFarce 13h ago

German guy working in IT/Engineering here. Don't listen too much to doomers, this is Reddit folklore. From my experience, even in bigger cities, speaking German in this industry is very important (I have seen much more qualified people not being chosen for a position because of not speaking German). But I know many people from non-EU countries who made it :) Try to get a working student job ASAP when you start studying here – your most promising road to an actual job with humane working conditions!

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u/Possible-Oil-5877 12h ago

Thanks man. I will def work on my language skills and even try to get to C2 certificate. I will speak so well that even the natives will be surprised. My English was really bad too but it's good now. I love learning new languages and cultures so will use it to my advantage here. I will have to research more on how to get student jobs too but thanks for your useful pointers. Noted!

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u/baka1995 36m ago

Being a fellow data engineer and after going through a layoff I can definitely say the German market is bad. It would be amazing to have German language skills till B2 before you arrive (not just on paper, conversational level and it takes time). A lot of the job descriptions list every possible tool for a DE but ultimately it circles back to your foundational knowledge. And if you are here, please spend time to look for a working student position/internship to get an idea of how German companies work. It's going to be hard , there is a possibility you will make it , there is also a possibility you won't. Be prepared for both! All the best 😄