u/WanderingStars-

I’ve been living here for over 3 years, specially due to work. It’s not the funniest city, but I was able to get by going to Cologne on the weekends…
But nowadays, renting is getting more and more expensive(I believe even more than Düsseldorf), while living conditions are getting worse and worse.

I don’t mean to scare members who are about to moving to Bonn, but as I’ve been here for the past 3 years, I could only see the living situation getting worse. For long-time Bonn residents, how do you feel? You think is worth considering moving elsewhere, if job wasn’t a concern?

Looking forward for your thoughts!

Hi All, first things first sorry for the long post, but I promise it is important for context.

Long-time employee at a large multinational (moved internally between two divisions). Spent ~2 years on Team A, recently moved to Team B. One month in, I'm considering I regret the switch. Looking for outside perspective since I know I'm emotionally biased.

Team A (2,5 years):

- Global role covering multiple regions solo (working APAC hours some days, LATAM hours others, while based in Europe). Led to insomnia and anxiety.

- Asked my manager to fix the structural issue (one person covering two timezones) — she offered a partial fix (swap APAC for NORAM) but never solved the core problem. Also asked for a title/comp adjustment to reflect the workload; she said she could not do that as higher management did not see the need of a new role.

- In my team we all mostly working like under similar conditions, but there was one specific coworker who joined 6 months after me that only worked his own timezone, did the bare minimum, and still got the same permanent contract I fought hard for. Felt very unfair, but I could not express my frustration.

- On top of that, I was living with a roommate I couldn't stand, so I had zero space to decompress — stress at work AND at home, no outlet.

- Despite all this: I was seen as a go-to person on the team, had great relationships with coworkers, and a skip-level manager I deeply admired and was learning a lot from. I genuinely saw a career path there.

Why I left for Team B:

- A former manager of mine (from an internship years ago, someone I'm personally close with) had an opening and reached out. I applied mainly out of accumulated frustration with Team A, not because the new role itself was more appealing. The role is completely different from my background/experience but I told them I'd do my best to learn and take certifications.

- A few days after I give my noticed for Team A(and still hadn't received the contract for Team B), I got the news the new division would require full return-to-office Starting Jan 2027. The new manager was upfront that he knows that was not what we had discussed and would understand if I would not continue with signing the contract — I signed anyway, feeling I had only two choices, either not sign it and stay jobless, or sign it, have a job and see how things would go.

- My exit caused some friction: apparently there's an unwritten rule(I am not versed on the corporate politics and internal procedures) that the hiring manager should loop in my old chain of command before extending an offer, and that didn't happen, which created awkwardness with my old team's VP. I still feel like I burned a bit of goodwill there.

What's changed since:

- Moved out of the bad living situation, now live alone — quality of life improved noticeably just from that.

- Found out (by accident, via a Teams profile change) that the underperforming coworker is no longer on that team.

- New role: weak onboarding (just SOPs/guidelines, no structured ramp-up plan), new manager has a much more hands-off style (expects proactivity without giving clear direction — I knew this about him going in, but it's harder in practice than expected). At times he seems a bit passive-agressive(as a German, I'd expect him to be straightforward but that is not the case at times.

- The new division overall has a rough climate: HR seen as toxic by coworkers, signs of understaffing/overwork, general low morale tied to the RTO mandate, no longer a GPTW 😄

What I'm actually considering:

Reaching out informally to my old manager or skip-level to gauge whether going back could be an option down the line — being honest that a big part of my decision to leave was reactive frustration, not necessarily the right long-term career move.

Questions for you:

1. Does it make sense to reconnect (casual coffee/catch-up) this early, just 1 month into the new role? Or is that premature and risks looking indecisive?

2. Is there a "professional" way to signal interest in returning without looking desperate or burning the bridge further?

3. How long would you typically give a new role before considering something like this, especially given I already caused some friction on the way out?

Appreciate any perspective, especially from people who've navigated something similar or work in HR/people management.

Sorry again for the huge text but do appreciate any answers!

Hallo zusammen,

ich versuche gerade, einen Stuhl aufzuarbeiten, den ich auf der Straße gefunden habe, und muss dafür ein bestimmtes Teil per 3D-Druck nachfertigen lassen. Könnt ihr einen Anbieter in Bonn und/oder Köln empfehlen, der 3D-Druck anbietet?

Ich habe so etwas noch nie gemacht und suche daher idealerweise nach einem Ort, der diesen Service für mich übernimmt oder mir dabei hilft, es selbst zu machen.

Schon mal vielen Dank im Voraus!