Germany
Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
51–60 of 102 posts
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#52Move to Germany. Probably you had to move a bit earlier for you to enjoy the full parental leave here, but grandparents will be a great support. Do not worry much about the small village, actually use the opportunity (lower costs) to invest in your German (learn as much as you can with classes and talking with the people around you). Quality of life in Germany is much better than in the USA. Kita places are hard to f…
> Also your kids will not do shooters drills in school
This.
Also you will pay a bit more taxes but since you have kids, those taxes will be offset by the plethora of free or cheap services you will get for your children: kindergarten, school, and higher education.
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#53> I work as a senior eng at a large tech company and based on levels.fyi, it looks like my SF colleagues make somewhere between 2 and 4 times what I do. I know money isn't everything, but I've experienced the pain and stress that not having enough causes.
There's a bit of a tilt so far towards Germany in this thread. Let me offer a counterpoint: you can go for a high salary in CA until your kids start at school, and then move to Germany. I'm estimating that you can net somewhere between $100k - $250k per year more in CA (partially depending how frugal you decide to live and you actual options, but you should really do the math yourself). Accumulating over 5 years (around when your kids start with primary school), you that can net you a fully paid off house in Bavaria.
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#54Find a remote job position in the US which lets you work in Germany.
I have 3 small kids. I lived in the US for 5 years while working for FAANG. Once remote become a thing, I moved to Canada. Yes I took a paycut, but I still make more than what local companies pay in Canada. Moving back to Canada I was able to afford a house in a nice neighborhood with much better public schools than I had in the USA (95124 zip code).
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#55The internet is not an unbiased sample, as Americans with personal grievances flock to threads like these to air their own frustrations. Also: should I have coffee or tea breakfast? Which one is better?
I'm not seeing any grievances or frustrations being aired here, just mostly positive things about living in Germany.
Ah, true. Comments like:
>California is a smoldering shell of corruption and handouts to buy votes from various demographics.
Definitely are just positive things about living in Germany and not airing of grievances by frustrated Americans.
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#56Depends on the lifestyle you want. Are you looking to make a ton of dough and retire early? CA is going to give you a better chance for that. Are you looking for a good quality of life for you and your children? Germany is better for that. You'll be working longer in Germany, so make your peace with that, but that's a small price to pay for your family to be able to put down roots and be around extended family. If it's any consolation, I'd bet a middle class existence in germany is a better life than even the average dev in CA can afford.
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#57I came here to say Germany as well. But so many others with so much more experience in Germany than me have chimed in. It’s pretty amazing how near universal the response has been. I’m curious how the answers would change if we shifted some of the variables. What if the asker’s Bavarian parents were elderly and less than the ideal support grandparents? What if it were his parents living San Diego that were the eager…
So much support for Germany! Makes me want to move there even though I have no connection to it.
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#58Move to Germany. Probably you had to move a bit earlier for you to enjoy the full parental leave here, but grandparents will be a great support. Do not worry much about the small village, actually use the opportunity (lower costs) to invest in your German (learn as much as you can with classes and talking with the people around you). Quality of life in Germany is much better than in the USA. Kita places are hard to f…
Yeah, the US sounds rather hostile to raising children, from everything I hear. Not just the school shootings, but also being unable to play outside, no biking to school, and the way politics seems eager to politicise everything about education there. I'd definitely pick Germany. Actually, I'd pick Netherland, because that's where kids are apparently the happiest in the world, but Germany sounds like a great alternat…
"Yeah, the US sounds rather hostile to raising children".... As a lifelong US citizen with three kids of my own, I do feel there there is some truth here. In my opinion most of the school systems across the USA have shifted to treating children as burdens instead of blessings. I would argue this has happened enmasse in the culture at large and getting worse over the last 20 years. Perhaps a big portion of the problem is that we don't take good care of our teachers first and foremost.
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#59Move to Germany. Probably you had to move a bit earlier for you to enjoy the full parental leave here, but grandparents will be a great support. Do not worry much about the small village, actually use the opportunity (lower costs) to invest in your German (learn as much as you can with classes and talking with the people around you). Quality of life in Germany is much better than in the USA. Kita places are hard to f…
Yeah, the US sounds rather hostile to raising children, from everything I hear. Not just the school shootings, but also being unable to play outside, no biking to school, and the way politics seems eager to politicise everything about education there. I'd definitely pick Germany. Actually, I'd pick Netherland, because that's where kids are apparently the happiest in the world, but Germany sounds like a great alternat…
> no biking to school
What is the rationale for this?
Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids?
#60I was in the same situation years ago, and went with Germany (berlin) over SF. I have kids as well, and my priority was to have time to actually be with them. I can always invest more in my worklife when they are teenagers and want to avoid me like the plague.
I see a couple of people suggest working for a US company from Germany, I would advice against that. Work is a big social driver, so being disconnected from that, will make your time in Germany harder.