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How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

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Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#271
post #258
post #254

The salaries in Germany for engineers are astoundingly low. Good engineers from India (I'm Indian working in SV) often ask me if it's worth migrating to Germany since US immigration is so hard. The answer is absolutely not -- you can easily make 70k USD in India as a decent mid-level engineer which is the same as Germany. And you get to live like a king in your own country, don't have to learn German, put up with rac…

> you can easily make 70k USD in India as a decent mid-level engineer not that I know anything about Indian tech companies but please don't say that compensation is at FAANG companies. because those are not representative of the industry in general. Otherwise why would India be known for cheap dev's if Mid-levels can easily earn 70k.

Also, to caution folks who think India is only a place for "cheap devs", there is a perfect confluence of factors happening right now that is driving salaries up and incentivizing good engineers to stay back in India -- immigration restrictions, remote hiring and a domestic startup scene. Some startups who are building for the US/international market are all but Indian, they only have a US HQ for ops, sales etc.

This hasn't gone unnoticed by investors. See PG's recent tweet - https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1381669057548713984?s=20

The US runs the risk of being "China'ed" again, in a different field -- this is not outsourcing anymore, this is real competitive software products being built in India.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#272

> To sum up: if you are single and opt for "live cool and don't care about expenses" style, then an average developer salary will be enough (it might be harder if you have a family to feed). > On the other hand, if you choose to go the student-like route (living in Wohngemeinschaft and not eating out too much), you can easily manage with just 1.200-1.500 EUR per month, and save the majority of your salary. I know it…

Savings is for a down payment. Then you pay mortgages on the house and any savings are much better to keep (retirement, buffer, ..). If I were to save to buy my house (€800K) I'd certainly not be living in it before the kids move out, at which point I no longer need a house. The price of a house on the market has a pretty simple formula: it's what two incomes can pay per month times the interest rate they expect over…

Sure the market says you should put the money into stocks, but from a risk perspective this is not meaningfully different from paying off your mortgage and then borrowing money at an incredibly low interest rate for the sake of buying stocks. It's still trading on margin.

If you must do this, then don't use the money on moonshots and pick something with low volatility.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Few people buy a house outright. Mortgages make the ordeal a little more in reach. Now as to whether banks grant it or not is a different problem...

Do you know if Europe's negative rates have made mortgages more or less challenging to receive. I can see it going either way as any interest is better than negative bond yields but how much effort are you going to put in if a mortgage rate is suppressed as well?

If the minimum down payment grows it gets harder.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#274
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 5 years, that house might cost a bit more than 450k.

Or it might cost a bit less.

Well, assuming everything goes according to plan we are reaching the peak and housing will have to go down again. I don't know when this will happen, it could happen within 5 years, it could happen no earlier than 10 years.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't care about past performance, I'm only looking at the future and unless there will be a future building boom in the cities to increase supply(spoiler alert, it won't because a million reasons) and unless there will be a sharp drop in internal and external immigration to the cities with jobs, prices will keep rising.

Have you exhausted all options for why prices will only increase? I can see a scenario in which inflation rises and increased mortgage rates deflate the current overvalued housing market.

It's already rising in the US, if the central bank figures out how to meet the 2% goal year over year it will raise the interest rates in a few years. Probably not before 2024 though.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're not paying off the principal, you're just renting from the bank without the benefit of having a landlord to fix things. Why bother?

> If you're not paying off the principal, you're just renting from the bank without the benefit of having a landlord to fix things. Renting a house is more or less unheard of. If I want a house I need to buy one (or: “rent from the bank” as it were) And the market price is basically “what two high income earners can afford if they pay interest only”. So: if I want to live in a house at all, I need to buy it using bor…

Interest is not deductible in Germany., Unlike the US.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#278
post #262
post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you can easily make 70k USD in India as a decent mid-level engineer not that I know anything about Indian tech companies but please don't say that compensation is at FAANG companies. because those are not representative of the industry in general. Otherwise why would India be known for cheap dev's if Mid-levels can easily earn 70k.

Indian tech salaries are very bi-modal. I'm not talking about body shops here - I'm talking about capable engineers who can get hired in SV, though not necessarily at FAANG. Think tier 2/3 cos. These engineers know their worth and want to maximize their earning potential. If it were easy to immigrate to the US they would choose SV in a heartbeat, but are looking for alternatives. My advice to them it's either SV or s…

It would also be helpful if you post example job posts etc or salary reports etc rather than explain the dynamics. Though I agree the dynamics of remote work have being beneficial to capable engineers everywhere not just indian ones.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Compared to most jobs, developers are still pretty valued. I'm a junior software engineer in Sweden with an MSE degree. My entry salary was a bit lower than average for this industry at $50,000/year ($3000/month after taxes), but that's still higher than what 95% of nurses make in this country.

Many nurses in my state (Wisconsin) make more than you.

And they should, so good for them.

Re: How to find a job as Software Developer in Germany

#280
post #6

Leaving in Germany for 6 years. Moved from France. What I'll say only concern Berlin. The interview process in startup can be more draining than that. Currently, it's more like 4 / 5 steps with (sometimes) 6+ hours homework. Yik. 60k is more for senior developers. Junior get less. Other than that the cost of living in Germany is quite low (lower in Berlin than in the South) and it's a very nice and stable country.

I just got a 6 figure non-senior position in Berlin. Sent out close to 100 applications and went into interview processes at around 30 places. 80-90k is definitely doable if you are good and take your time (I was looking for 3-4 months). You need to filter beforehand for salary. Most places expect to pay around 60-70k max. But getting the higher salary is more a matter of finding the company willing to pay it than ju…

Very curious about your role and the company profile.

I'm also in Berlin with a 6 figure comp but I have 10+ years experience (DevOps role) and the company is not German.

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