u/Friendly-Implement95

Yeah, hi again. It's kind of ironic and maybe funny because I asked this same question 4 years ago, but with a few differences. Things happened, and I don't want to lay out my entire life in a quick post, but let's say I had to drop out of high school at 19 (yeah, sadly I failed 1 year) in the 12th grade due to family medical reasons—I had to take care of someone for 2 years.

After they passed away about 8 months ago, I suddenly felt free because taking care of this person was almost my entire life for those two years. Initially, I re-enrolled to finish my high school diploma (which is actually going well; if I don't mess up, I could finish with one last exam). But I'm 21, and I started feeling useless after that person passed away because A) I don't even have a high school degree yet, and B) I don't have a job.

Since my high school is online and I only need to attend for two days during exams, I thought I might as well look for a job. I don't want to get into all the details or blame people (because I understand the shop owners' perspective; I've discussed this in another post about Turkey, where it's hard for Turks themselves), but I couldn't, for the life of me, find ANY kind of job. I kid you not, I tried everything on the list.

Initially, I was naive and thought, "I like IT, so I might as well get a job in IT since software dev requires a bachelor's." Well, IT requires a bachelor's degree too. Even if you hold a CompTIA A+ and other certificates, they don't seem to matter because, apparently, in this generation, the new minimum is a university degree. So, after trying multiple times for a couple of jobs in tech, I gave up and thought, "Well, whatever, I'll just work blue-collar jobs (cashier, waiter, warehouse worker, cleaner, assembly, production)." I've tried applying to all sorts of jobs, and I always get rejected.

Why, you may ask? If you're not in Turkey and don't know what's happening, I don't want to simply say "racism"—obviously part of it plays a role, but more importantly, from the shop owner's perspective, it's simple risk assessment. They need to pay for a work permit here, and legally, it has to come out of the shop owner's money; it can't be deducted from the employee's first month of income. So they'd rather simply say no. Why employ a Syrian guy when they can employ a Turkish guy without the legal hurdles? Ironically, to my knowledge, a lot of Syrians did go back to Syria after things changed, so I thought, "Maybe I'll apply to factory jobs," but those didn't work either.

At this point, I have no clear idea about the future. The best plan I have now is to learn German to a B2 level and try to go to Germany for an *Ausbildung*. Even if I hypothetically went to university here in Turkey and studied engineering (which costs about $10,000 for the full 4 years for foreigners—cheap compared to Europe and America), I doubt I'd find a job after graduating, and I don't have that kind of money to begin with.

Recently, I've also had issues with my mental health and haven't been mentally stable due to relationship issues with a long-term online friend and feeling left behind, but I won't go into that—Reddit isn't a therapy place, honestly. I probably don't have a better plan than the Germany one. It offers a direct pathway toward citizenship if you secure a solid *Ausbildung*, perform well at the vocational school, reach C1 German, and become financially independent after 5 years. So yeah, any ideas, suggestions, or personal experiences? To be honest, I don't even know what I'm expecting here.

## **Hey everyone,**

I’ve been trying to get back into shape recently, but I’ve hit a wall that I think many of you might recognize. I’ve tried using global apps like **MyFitnessPal** or **Lose It!**, but they are incredibly frustrating to use here in Turkey.

The databases are full of American and German products. When I try to scan something from **Ülker, Eti, or Torku**, it’s either not there or the macros are totally wrong. Plus, with the way prices are fluctuating lately, I find myself constantly jumping between **Migros, A101, and BİM** apps just to see where I can get my "diet foods" (like quark, oats, or chicken) for a decent price.

I’m a programmer, and I’ve been seriously considering building a "lightweight," localized tracker specifically for the Turkish market. My idea was:

1. **Verified Turkish Database:** Focus 100% on brands that are sold here in Turkey.

2. **Price Comparison:** Seeing the current price per 100g of protein/carbs across the big markets (**BİM, ŞOK, Migros, etc.**) so you can diet cheaply.

### **My questions for you guys:**

* **How are you currently tracking your macros?** Do you just do it manually by checking the nutritional info, use simple notes, or is there an app that already does it?

* **Would a localized app with a price-comparison feature actually be useful to you**, or is the way you're doing it "good enough"?

* **Are there any specific Turkish fitness communities or forums** you’d recommend I check out for feedback?

I really don't want to waste months building something if everyone is happy with the way they do it.

**Note:** I might be too ambitious, but if the idea is good, I can slowly add simple but useful features. For example, I always try to quickly calculate which product is cheaper per gram (like comparing two tuna products). Maybe I am too stingy, but honestly, in this economy that is only worsening—and as a student—saving a bit on every purchase makes me feel like I have **300 IQ**, even if I only saved a 50–100 TL difference.

Maybe later, the app could give you diet options using products available in Turkey to hit a specified protein threshold, caloric deficit, or surplus.

Again, if the app idea is verified, we can slowly add features and additions. Initially, I just want to verify if the idea is even useful, rather than working on it in a closet just to find out that nobody is going to use it. If I make it, we could then take user suggestions on features, but again, that might be too ambitious.

**Thanks in advance for all your opinions!**