u/neirein

Ich habe vor, aus beruflichen Gründen dorthin zu ziehen. Wie gesagt, sind wir ein Paar über 30 ohne Auto. Es ist nicht meine Muttersprache, aber ich spreche Deutsch. Ich habe die letzten Jahre in Köln gelebt und hoffe auf günstigere Mieten und einen entspannten Ort, aber keine völlige Isolation.

[original] I'm planning to move over there for work. As per title, we're a couple over 30 without a car. German isn't my main language but I can speak it. The last few years we've been in Köln and I'm hoping to find cheaper apartments; I'd be fine with a less lively place but not complete isolation.

What are your experiences? And advice? :) Of course reply in the language you prefer.

Hi! How do you keep your bird room clean? My birds fly freely in my living room and I'm considering a robot vacuum cleaner. Does anyone have experiences with this? Any advice is welcome!

Hello!

​

"Quality" is (rightfully, I guess) not taught as a subject, but there are many jobs focusing solely on ensuring things are done the right way: **Quality Control, Quality Assurance, GLP / GMP compliance.**

​

If you work(ed) in any of these positions:

- What are your tasks exactly, what is your typical work day? More wet lab or more administration?

- And how did you get there, e.g. are there any useful qualifications that you acquired beforehand?

​

Please also mention Where you're based. I guess it's largely the same, but I'm in Europe (Germany).

​

Thanks! I hope the topic can be interesting for others too.

Hi. A bit of context: I live in Germany (but I'm from another EU country). I'm not using it as justification, I'll just say "stuff happened" during my attempt at a PhD (Covid, Ukraine) and one way or another it wasn't going well. Sadly it took me time to accept that I wasn't fit for that position. Inferiority complex, yada yada. Also, I have many symptoms that hint to autism, but getting a diagnosis is virtually impossible especially since my German level is not even a full B2 (and would it help at all? Sigh).

So anyway: I left the PhD position and went to work as technical assistant (still an academic biomedical lab). I like this role much more! 😃 I love managing logistics, inventory, administrative tasks that from the perspective of the others are "in the background", as well as supporting the various projects of the lab practically, but without any being "my" project.

However, I am really not in love with the topic here. In fact I'd like to move from biomed to biotechnology / microbiology, ideally bioremediation, something where I can see a purpose (as in looking for solutions rather than quantifying a problem). 🌍

---> If your path was any similar, or anyway if you work in one of the fields I mentioned, I'd love to hear your stories and advice. Both in academia and industry.

Do you recommend a part-time study? A whole "Ausbildung"? Or just jump at any job that goes more in that direction and "learn to swim"? I'm also interested in qualifications that one can take on the side (e.g. many job offers mention ISO 17025 or other QMS skills).