u/ChillyDinosaur

Hola!

Estoy planteándome mudarme a Jaén por estudios (vivo en Alemania y soy mexicano).

He vivido anteriormente en Valencia y Sevilla por periodos cortos y la experiencia me gustó mucho. También he escuchado cosas bastante buenas de Jaén, aunque conozco muy poco la ciudad.

Se que es bastante más pequeña y tranquila que Sevilla, pero mantiene mucho de la esencia andaluza. (También me han dicho que hay muy buen tapeo!)

Me gustaría conocer la opinión de gente que viva o haya vivido allí. ¿Cómo es la calidad de vida? ¿Hay suficientes cosas que hacer y vida social? ¿Cómo es el ambiente de la ciudad y qué tal es para extranjeros? Y en general ¿qué diferencias destacarían respecto a otras ciudades de España?

Gracias! :)

I’ve seen this trend a lot lately on TikTok and Instagram.

It basically shows someone before moving to Germany looking happy, energetic, bubbly, living their best life, etc.. and then a few months later they’re suddenly gloomy, angry, tired, or just completely fed up with life.

What I find funny is that if you search for the same kind of videos about France, Spain, the US, China, or pretty much anywhere else, the trend often seems to be the opposite (most of the times) haha

Obviously, social media exaggerates everything but why do you think this perception/trend is so persistent?

Hi!

*Long, so thanks if you stick to the end! :)

I'm currently living and doing my master's in Germany (Leipzig), and I'm taking a gap semester because I've been pretty unhappy with both my studies and my life here.

I've been thinking a lot about whether I simply ended up in the wrong city, or whether Germany as a whole isn't really my thing.

Before moving here, I lived in Spain for extended periods and really loved my life there. At the time, I was working remotely for American companies, so I didn't experience the Spanish job market firsthand (But We all know that wages and working conditions are not the best, so thats one of the reasons I eventually decided to try Germany) 

The things I don't like about Germany are mostly related to everyday life. I find the general vibe quite aggressive and pessimistic most of the time (idk, there's always a weird atmosphere), and I also find it quite boring.

(For context, Leipzig has around 600k people, but I often feel like a lot of the city looks and feels the same. There's a very specific left-wing, raw, punk/graffiti atmosphere that I don't really identify with, and the overall quality of restaurants, cafés, bars, etc. isn't really what I'm looking for.Also my vision is not limited to this city as i have traveled extensively through the country)

Socially, I've also struggled. I consider myself kinda extroverted, I do have friends here, and I even got a girlfriend, but I never really felt like I found my people. A lot of the friendships I have are more because of university, rather than people I would naturally choose to spend my time with.

And as a foreigner, I've had some experiences that made me question whether I'd be happier somewhere that feels more international. I'm Mexican and a POC, and Germany is by far the place where I've experienced the most racism in my life. It's not that I've had major incidents every day, but I've experienced a lot of smaller incidents and microaggressions on a regular basis.

All of this has made me start wondering about France, partly because I'm thinking it could be a middle point in between Germany and Spain in terms of the lifestyle I'm looking for.

France seems like it might have some of the things I'm missing here: a stronger dining/coffee, food, and going out culture/emphasis, cities that feel more aesthetically pleasing, people spending more time outside, and somewhat more social (or at least polite) atmosphere.

I'm planning to spend some time in France next spring to dip my toes in and see what everyday life actually feels like before making any big decisions.

Right now I'm particularly interested in Toulouse, Lyon and Montpellier, although I'm definitely open to other cities.

I'd especially love to hear from foreigners who have lived in France for a while, and even better, people who have also lived in Germany. I'd also be interested in hearing from French people about how they see everyday life in France compared with Germany.

also, I'm not trying to make this a "France vs Germany, which country is better?" post. I'm mainly trying to figure out whether the things that are making me unhappy in Germany are actually things I might experience differently in France.

Thanks!

*again, thank you if you took the time to read!

I was away from the road for a while because I went back to my studies, around 2 years, and I’m now taking a break and looking at colivings again.

I almost jumped out of my chair when I started checking the prices.

€900 for a SHARED room (monthly) in Mexico? Over €1,000 for a room in Spain? €800 for a room in Morocco?

What is happening??? 🫪

I used to stay in colivings quite a lot, and I really don’t remember them being anywhere near this expensive. At these prices, you can get a proper room in a shared apartment, and in some places you can even get your own apartment.

What makes it even stranger to me is that I know quite a few freelancers who have had to lower their rates because the market has been so shit lately.

Who is actually paying these prices? Have prices really gone up this much in the last 1/2 years?

I just finished a hiring process with a small startup and I’m not sure if what happened is becoming normal in sales or if I just ran into a company full of red flags.

The role was basically a full-cycle sales position: business development, closing, and customer success. So pretty broad role but I guess is ok for a startup.

The first call was a 15-minute HR screen. Fine.

The second call was with one of the founders, who is responsible for closing. During the mock call (that was out of the blue), he asked if I could make my accent sound more American.

I’m Mexican-German and my English is a mix of American and British English depending on where I’ve worked and lived. I told him I’m not an actor and I can’t just switch into a Louisiana/California accent because a company prefers it. He said it was fine, but… come on. That felt like a pretty obvious red flag. (Also I worked with American, British and Australian companies for over 7 years and never got a comment on my English or accent)

I also felt I was probably somewhat overqualified for what they were looking for, especially considering the compensation. I gave them my salary expectations, and they said it was potentially achievable with OTE, but they didn’t exactly sound confident about it.

Then for the third interview came the mock calls with the other founder.

They sent me a script and explicitly told me to stick to it.

So I did.

Then they told me I sounded too much like the script.

I said “Well… you asked me to stick to the script. If you want to hear how I would actually run the call, I’m happy to do that.”

They said no, they wanted somehow the script but more "alive".

Throughout the mock calls, they kept interrupting me with feedback about energy, wording, etc. And I get it mock calls are supposed to be challenging to test your nerves and I’m completely open to feedback.

But this was a new service that I had very limited exposure to. I had already done another mock call in the previous interview, which went extremely well, using a completely different service.

So I’m not expecting to sound like someone who has been selling their product for two years after reading a script for five minutes.

At one point they said they could send me recordings of their own calls so I could listen to them and learn.

I said I couldn’t do that the following week because I was travelling.

And that was apparently the end haha.

They basically said:

“We don't think you're a good fit, so I think we should go our separate ways.”

And I’m not upset about not getting the job. Looking back, I saw several red flags during the process and decided to ignore them because I wanted to see where it went.

But it did make me wonder:

Is sales hiring really this bad right now? Because it feels like sales roles are getting ridiculous

You have companies looking for one person who can prospect, generate pipeline, run discovery, close deals, onboard customers, manage customer success, probably build the CRM, write the sequences, and somehow also be an expert in AI, all while paying like they’re hiring an SDR.

Also now with AI, I’m seeing startups proudly talking about how much of their sales/marketing process is automated. I’m all for automation when it actually makes people more efficient, but sometimes it feels like companies are trying to automate the human parts of sales while simultaneously expecting salespeople to perform like machines working with AI slop data and resources.

Maybe this particular startup was just a bad fit. And judging by the interview process, I probably dodged a bullet.

But after going through multiple sales hiring processes recently, Im really wondering If this is this just the market now or am I running into an unusually bad batch of companies?

(on the other side i am on the final steps for other positions that are pretty exciting so fingers crossed)

Hi!

I’m currently living and studying in Leipzig, but tbh I’m pretty dissatisfied with both my studies and my life here.

I’m taking a gap semester, and after that I’d like to give Germany one more shot before deciding whether it’s just not for me. Dresden is one of the cities I’m considering, so I’d love to hear from people who know it well.

I’ve actually been to Dresden a few times and, at least from my visits, I like it more aesthetically than Leipzig. The city feels prettier and more put together to me, and I also got the impression that people seemed a bit cooler and put more effort into how they dress and present themselves. But obviously visiting a city and actually living there are two very different things.

Some of the things that are important to me when choosing where to live:

Things to do: I like concerts, events, restaurants, bars, some partying, green spaces, cafés, etc. Basically just having things going on and feeling like the city is alive. I don’t need it to be a huge city, but I’d like to have stuff to do and people actually out and about.

Career opportunities: Before my master’s I worked in commercial consulting, and I’m now trying to switch fields. I’m curious about how the job market in Dresden is, especially for someone trying to switch fields, and whether there are good opportunities with companies in the city or nearby.

Aesthetics: This is probably the thing where I already have a pretty strong impression. I like Dresden more aesthetically than Leipzig from the times I’ve visited. It feels prettier and more interesting to me, and I also like that people seem to put a bit more effort into how they dress and present themselves. But maybe that’s just because I’ve only experienced it as a visitor?

Social life: I’d like to live somewhere where people are a bit more social and approachable. It doesn’t have to be a crazy party city, but somewhere where you see people outside, cafés and bars are actually busy, and there’s a bit more life on the streets.

Being a foreigner: As a Mexican and a POC, I’ve had more racist incidents and microaggressions in Leipzig than I can count. I know that can happen anywhere, but I’d like to live somewhere that feels more international and where people are generally more open and relaxed towards foreigners. This is probably my biggest concern with Dresden, given its reputation, so I’d especially like to hear from foreigners/POC who actually live there.

Catholic presence: This is also somewhat important to me. There isn’t a huge Catholic presence where I currently live, so I’m curious about what Catholic life is like in Dresden and whether there’s much of a community.

I’ve been to Dresden a few times, so I’m not completely unfamiliar with the city, but I’ve obviously only experienced it as a visitor. I’m curious about what it’s actually like to live there day to day, especially compared to Leipzig.

Thanks for reading :)

Hi!

I'm currently living and studying in Leipzig, but tbh I'm pretty dissatisfied with both my studies and my life here.

I'm taking a gap semester, and after that I'd like to give Germany one more shot before deciding whether it's just not for me. Giessen is one of the cities I'm considering, so I'd love to hear from people who know it well.

Some of the things I don't like about Leipzig, and that are important to me when choosing where to live:

• Things to do: I like concerts, events, restaurants, bars, some partying, green spaces, cafés, etc. Basically just having things going on and feeling like the city is alive. I don't need it to be a huge city, but I'd like to have stuff to do and people actually out and about.
• Career opportunities: Before my master's I worked in commercial consulting, and I'm now trying to switch fields. I know Giessen is a much smaller city, so I'm curious about what the job market is like and whether being relatively close to Frankfurt makes much of a difference in terms of jobs, internships, etc.
• Aesthetics: This might sound superficial, but it's important to me. I like cities that feel well-kept, interesting and vibrant. I also appreciate cafés, restaurants, venues, etc. that put some effort into how everything looks, and where people generally put a bit more effort into how they dress and present themselves.
• Social life: I'd like to live somewhere where people are a bit more social and approachable. It doesn't have to be a crazy party city, but somewhere where you see people outside, cafés and bars are actually busy, and there's a bit more life on the streets.
• Being a foreigner: As a Mexican and a POC, I've had more racist incidents and microaggressions in Leipzig than I can count. I know that can happen anywhere, but I'd like to live somewhere that feels more international and where people are generally more open and relaxed towards foreigners.
• Catholic presence: This is also somewhat important to me. There isn't a huge Catholic presence where I currently live, especially compared to places like Bavaria or parts of western Germany, so I'm curious about what Catholic life is like in Giessen and whether there's much of a community.

I've never actually been in Giessen (maybe visiting soon), so I'm mostly going off what I've seen/heard online. From what I understand it's a university city and relatively well connected to Frankfurt, but I'm wondering what it's actually like to live there day to day.

For those of you who live in Giessen (or strangely have lived in both cities), do you think it would be a good fit based on what I'm looking for?

Thanks for reading! :)

Hi!

I'm currently living and studying in Leipzig, but tbh I'm pretty dissatisfied with both my studies and my life here.

I'm taking a gap semester, and after that I'd like to give Germany one more shot before deciding whether it's just not for me. Münster is one of the cities I'm considering, so I'd love to hear from people who know it well.

Some of the things I don't like about Leipzig, and that are important to me when choosing where to live:

• Things to do: I like concerts, events, restaurants, bars, some partying, green spaces, cafés, etc. Basically just having things going on and feeling like the city is alive. I don't need it to be a huge city, but I'd like to have stuff to do and people actually out and about.
• Career opportunities: Before my master's I worked in commercial consulting, and I'm now trying to switch fields. I'm not expecting Münster to have the same opportunities as Munich or Frankfurt, but I'm wondering how the job market is there and whether being in NRW makes much of a difference.
• Aesthetics: This might sound superficial, but it's important to me. I like cities that feel well-kept, interesting and vibrant. I also appreciate cafés, restaurants, venues, etc. that put some effort into how everything looks, and where people generally put a bit more effort into how they dress and present themselves.
• Social life: I'd like to live somewhere where people are a bit more social and approachable. It doesn't have to be a crazy party city, but somewhere where you see people outside, coffee shops and bars are actually busy, and there's a bit more life on the streets.
• Being a foreigner: As a Mexican and a POC, I've had more racist incidents and microaggressions in Leipzig than I can count. I know that can happen anywhere, but I'd like to live somewhere that feels more international and where people are generally more open and relaxed towards foreigners.
• Catholic presence: This is also somewhat important to me. There isn't a huge Catholic presence where I currently live, especially compared to places like Bavaria or NRW, so I'm curious about what Catholic life is like in Münster and whether there's much of a community.

I've never actually lived in Münster (probably visiting in the next couple of days), so I'm mostly going off what I've seen/heard online. From what I understand it's a student city, pretty bike friendly and relatively young, but I'm wondering what it's actually like to live there.

For those of you who live in Münster (or strangely have lived in both cities), do you think it would be a good fit based on what I'm looking for?

Thanks for reading! :)

Hi!

I'm currently living and studying in Leipzig, but tbh I'm pretty dissatisfied with both my studies and my life here.

I'm taking a gap semester, and after that I'd like to give Germany one more shot before deciding whether it's just not for me. After spending a little over a week in Munich, I'm wondering if it might actually be a better fit.

Some of the things I don't like about Leipzig, and where I feel Munich might be different:

• Things to do: I didn't have as much time as I would've liked, but just by being a bigger city, it felt like there was so much more going on. Restaurants, bars, public spaces, nature around, concerts, festivals and events happening.
• Career opportunities: Before my master's I worked in commercial consulting. I'm trying to switch fields now, but it seems like regardless of the industry, Munich obviously has a much stronger job market than Leipzig.
• Aesthetics: The city is by far prettier, cleaner and more vibrant. Plus, I did notice coffeeshops, venues, restaurants, etc. putting more attention into how everything looks, and that people seemed to put more effort into how they dressed and presented themselves. (That might sound superficial, but it's something that's important to me)
• Social life: People seemed much more social. I saw more people outside, cafés and bars were full, and I felt like people were actually interacting with each other instead of just keeping to themselves.
• Racism/being a foreigner: Leipzigers will often defend the city as this left-wing, open, welcoming place where everyone belongs. That just hasn't been my experience. As a Mexican and a POC, I've had more racist incidents and microaggressions than I can count. In Munich, the atmosphere felt much more international and relaxed (Someone actually smiled at me on the S-Bahn!)
• Stronger Catholic presence: There are not a lot of catholic churches or community in this side of the country as compared to Bavaria and is also something relatively important for me. I understand Bayern is the most catholic region so it also would be a green flag for me.

Maybe I'm just looking at the city through "tourist glasses" but does it actually make sense that the change of city can offer such a different experience?

*Thanks for reading! :)

I visited a friend last weekend and stayed at her place in Charlottenburg. I noticed that the area around the main avenue (with all the stores) kinda resembles Madrid with the small cafés, the architecture, and all the greenery around, which obviously contrasts quite a bit with most other parts of Berlin.

I found it quite interesting and kinda funny/cool too, has anyone else noticed this?

Hi!
I’m currently living and doing my master’s in Germany, and I’ve just finished my second semester. Right now I’m not really sure about my degree anymore. I don’t think the program is very up to date or that it teaches enough practical skills.

I’m also not really vibing with Germany in general and I’m not very happy with my life here.

I originally chose Germany because I wanted to make a professional jump. Before moving here, I worked as a commercial consultant, making around €2k–€2.5k net while working remotely. I wanted to change fields and hopefully move into something with better long-term prospects, but now I’m also starting to feel like the job market here isn’t that great (although apparently that’s the case pretty much everywhere right now).

I used to live in Spain before moving to Germany and I loved it there. I really enjoyed my life there, but I know the working conditions and salary ranges are generally not great :(

So now I’m considering either going back to Spain and studying something else, basically praying that I can eventually find something close to the salary range I used to have, or trying France, which I imagine could be somewhere in the middle between Spain and Germany.

For people who have studied or worked in these countries, how would you compare them?

Hi!
I’m currently living and doing my master’s in Germany, and I’ve just finished my second semester. Right now I’m not really sure about my degree anymore. I don’t think the program is very up to date or that it teaches enough practical skills.

I’m also not really vibing with Germany in general and I’m not very happy with my life here.

I originally chose Germany because I wanted to make a professional jump. Before moving here, I worked as a commercial consultant, making around €2k–€2.5k net while working remotely. I wanted to change fields and hopefully move into something with better long-term prospects, but now I’m also starting to feel like the job market here isn’t that great (although apparently that’s the case pretty much everywhere right now).

I used to live in Spain before moving to Germany and I loved it there. I really enjoyed my life there, but I know the working conditions and salary ranges are generally not great :(

So now I’m considering either going back to Spain and studying something else, basically praying that I can eventually find something close to the salary range I used to have, or trying France, which I imagine could be somewhere in the middle between Spain and Germany.

For people who have studied or worked in these countries, how would you compare them?

I’m planning to go to Else or Renate this weekend, but it looks like it’s going to be super warm and I’ll also be coming by train from Leipzig (so I need to survive the heat on the way there).

My question is if it would be okay to wear shorts? Like dress shorts, either cotton or linen.

Normally I would only go clubbing in shorts for beach clubs or outdoor events but heat wave is heat wave haha

Do you guys think there would be a problem with that at the entrance?

Hi!
I’m currently finishing the first year of my master’s in Sustainable Development and I’m pretty unsure about what I can actually do with it.

For context, I come from a professional background in commercial and sales consulting (5+ years), so I was making around €2k to €2.5k net while working remotely from Mexico. I have a bachelor’s in International Relations and I’m doing my master’s in Leipzig, Germany. Since this is a double degree, I should also graduate with a degree in Management and Innovation from an Austrian university.

My intention with this degree was to change the kind of consulting I was doing because I was getting kind of bored with it. I thought I could connect sustainability with my previous degree and experience, use that as an advantage, and acquire some new skills that would hopefully help me not get devoured by AI in the future.

After one year in the program, I’m pretty disappointed and I’m thinking about dropping out and switching to something else.

We mostly covered economics that felt outdated and very theoretical, some social sciences that had little to no relation with what I was looking for, some management and ESG, but mostly at a very surface level, and the basics of LCA. I did take two optional classes in entrepreneurship and innovation that were actually great, but overall I feel like the program is very superficial.

Now that I’m halfway through, I really don’t know what I can do with this degree. It feels like it doesn’t give me enough technical knowledge to actually land a role, meaning I would probably have to start from scratch and do slave labor with internships and entry-level jobs.

For people who have been working in sustainability for a while, is it worth it?
Especially with politics shifting away from sustainability in some places and AI taking over more and more of consulting, I’m wondering if this is still a good field to move into.

I’ve also heard that salaries aren’t that great in the beginning and that it takes a while to reach something decent (let’s say above €3k net, depending on where you are in Europe or LATAM).

Would love to hear from people who actually work in this field. What kind of roles did you end up in? what did you study? do you enjoy it? and do you think the degree was worth it?

Thanks!!!

Hi!

I’m currently doing a Master’s in Sustainable Development in Leipzig and I’m starting to seriously question whether I should finish it or switch to something else.

I’ve just finished my second semester, so I have one more semester of classes and then thesis (I’ll probably need an extra semester anyway because I have to retake an exam, although I could potentially use that time for an internship).

The main thing making me question it is the job market. I keep seeing quite negative opinions about jobs after degrees in sustainability / sustainable development / environmental studies, and I’m wondering how much of that is actually true. (I do know that the market is bad right now, but I come from a commercial consulting background so I am not sure about sustainability)

I’m currently taking a leave semester because I want to use the time to figure out whether I should just finish what I started or look at other Master’s programmes, either in Germany, Spain (highest candidate as I love living there) or France. I’m also not sure I want to stay in Germany long term.

I know the obvious answer is probably “you’re already halfway through, just finish it”, but I’m not completely convinced. If I’m going to spend another 1–2 years on a degree, I’d like to feel reasonably confident that it will actually help me get into an interesting job afterwards.

So I’m curious about people who have already finished a Master’s in sustainability, sustainable development, environmental studies, climate, ESG or something along those lines: Did your degree actually help you find a decent/interesting job?

If you moved to another city/country after graduating, did that make things better or worse for you?

And looking back, would you still choose the same degree if you had to do it again?

Thanks!!! :)

Hi!

I’m currently doing a Master’s in Sustainable Development in Leipzig and I’m starting to seriously question whether I should finish it or switch to something else.

I’ve just finished my second semester, so I have one more semester of classes and then thesis (I’ll probably need an extra semester anyway because I have to retake an exam, although I could potentially use that time for an internship).

The main thing making me question it is the job market. I keep seeing quite negative opinions about jobs after degrees in sustainability / sustainable development / environmental studies, and I’m wondering how much of that is actually true. (I do know that the market is bad right now, but I come from a commercial consulting background so I am not sure about sustainability)

I’m currently taking a leave semester because I want to use the time to figure out whether I should just finish what I started or look at other Master’s programmes, either in Germany, Spain (highest candidate as I love living there) or France. I’m also not sure I want to stay in Germany long term.

I know the obvious answer is probably “you’re already halfway through, just finish it”, but I’m not completely convinced. If I’m going to spend another 1–2 years on a degree, I’d like to feel reasonably confident that it will actually help me get into an interesting job afterwards.

So I’m curious about people who have already finished a Master’s in sustainability, sustainable development, environmental studies, climate, ESG or something along those lines: Did your degree actually help you find a decent/interesting job?

If you moved to another city/country after graduating, did that make things better or worse for you?

And looking back, would you still choose the same degree if you had to do it again?

Thanks!!! :)

Hi!

Has anyone here done the Joint Sustainable Development Masters in Leipzig? I’m trying to figure out if I should actually finish it or just move on to something else.

I’ve been seeing quite a few negative opinions about the job prospects after the degree, and it’s really making me question why I’m putting another 1ish years into it if it’s not really going to help me get anywhere.

I just finished my second semester, so technically I have one more semester of classes and then the thesis (I’ll probably need an extra semester anyway because I have to retake an exam. I guess I could use that extra time to do an internship but I’m not sure yet)

I’m taking a leave semester now because I want to think about whether I should quit and start another degree, either in Germany, Spain (highest candidate as I love living there) or France. I’m also not sure I want to stay in Germany long term. My German is still very basic (went down from B1 to A1 haha) so that’s another thing I’d have to work on if I stay here.

I know the sunk cost argument points to "I should probably just finish since I’m already halfway through", but at the same time, spending another year or two on something I’m not convinced about doesn’t feel great either. Especially when there are other 1 year programmes or programmes where the second year is basically an internship + thesis.

So for anyone who actually finished this Masters: did it help you get a decent/interesting job afterwards? Did employers actually care about the degree, or did you feel like you could have done something else and gotten the same result?

And if you moved to another city/country after graduating, did that make things better or worse for you?

I’m mainly looking for real experiences from people who finished it, rather than the usual “it depends” answer; thanks!!!

Hi!

I'm thinking about applying to the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management (MSc) at TU Darmstadt, but I haven't been able to find many student experiences online.

If you've taken the program (or are currently enrolled), I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts. How did you find it? Was it more practical or theory leaning? Did you feel like it prepared you well for finding a job afterwards?

I'd also love to know about your student experience and if you could go back, would you choose the program again?

Thanks! :)

Hi!

I'm thinking about applying to the International Marketing & Sales (MA) at FH Münster, but I haven't been able to find many student experiences online.

If you've taken the program (or are currently enrolled), I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts. How did you find it? Was it more practical or theory leaning? Did you feel like it prepared you well for finding a job afterwards?

I'd also love to know about your student experience and if you could go back, would you choose the program again?

Thanks! :)