I Was A German SW Engineer. Now I'm Almost Unemployed And Alone In the Forest - How Did I Get Here?

Hello, guys! This is Alex from Alex Tech. Yesterday, I turned 30, a day I spent all by myself. I think this is a good time to reflect, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to think about the last 30 years and whether the next 30 years should look the same. They should be completely different! This really got me thinking, and I believe it’s probably best if I take you on a journey through my last 30 years. And why am I doing this, by the way?

So, having people in the same situation understand that you are not alone is important. It might also be interesting for outsiders to watch. I'm German, and I attended a pretty normal school in the countryside of Germany. I was always good at mathematics, physics, and so on.

So I studied electrical engineering right after college. I was also very driven, passionate, and ambitious about my life situation. When I started my degree, I was fascinated by numbers, algorithms, statistics, and so on. It was all pretty amazing for me. I would also say I was a good student—maybe not the best student, but one of the best, I would say.

And, as I said, I was always ambitious. I worked in Silicon Valley for a few months during an internship, but I returned to Germany and started my first software engineering job at 21. I had a good group of friends, and it was a fun time. I was already making good money for my age, and I got promoted to Senior Software Engineer when I was 24.

Yeah, I have held various roles in the company I was with until I turned 30. But whatever, with COVID, I got the chance to work completely remotely, and I chose to live here in the countryside, in a very rural area, which I really like. I think in my personal situation, this has been a significant advantage. It has greatly improved my quality of life. So, yes, I actually prepared my resignation in 2019 but postponed it because the new way of working was so pleasant for me that it felt alright to stay. I had my resignation printed out and showed it to my parents, saying to them, "Okay, this is what I’m going to do."

I don't know what's next and so on. But then COVID came, and I decided not to do that, whatever that was. In hindsight, maybe it was a good decision; maybe not. I don't know. I also tried indie hacking.

So basically, smaller startups that you run by yourself. Yeah, I made some money, but nothing really substantial. However, I was always happy in the places I worked. We were working on cutting-edge technologies, and that's pretty fascinating. If you work in Germany, you're working alongside the best people in the car industry.

So I really liked working with those people. It was an amazing time. But actually, that's when I realized what I want to do. I want to help people. I want to solve problems for them.

And this can be through a smaller website, tool, or whatever, or through, for example, video content. That's also the reason why I started this YouTube channel. Yes, because it's fun, and I enjoy helping people. Before you say you are just here for the hype surrounding Gooby or Dooby, or whatever he is called, I admit that this is basically a trend-checking video. However, all the credit goes to Dubi. To be honest, I want to reach as many people with this video as possible, as it can also positively influence others.

That's my hope. But, of course, I don't make money from this, so I don't even have 1,000 subscribers and cannot turn on ad monetization. Therefore, I won't make any money from this, if that's what you're worried about. However, speaking from my heart, I need a script where I've written down some of the bullet points I want to discuss, as you may have seen. I'm not as good as he is.

Okay, but now let's come to the crucial point of this video: what I don't like about my job or any corporate job in general. First up is the meeting culture. It's pretty crazy. For outside people, it seems completely insane how this works. Basically, you're sitting in meetings all day, trying to think of ways to schedule even more meetings. As a result, your calendar is completely filled with back-to-back meetings.

And that's your work. This is not really fulfilling. You're not helping anybody; you're just providing visibility to the management. To be honest, this is not helping anyone, in my opinion. Also, another point to consider is the impact you will have.

So, of course, in a very large company, you will only be a very small cog in the wheel. You will never have the chance to change something significant, even at higher management levels. There are so many people who are just expecting something from you, so you're merely reacting rather than acting. Nobody will say, "Oh, thank God you have done this and that."

I have already received more appreciation for my last videos and gained 200 subscribers than throughout my entire career, basically. You also don't know, people will compliment you, and it's not really a compliment. They are just saying things to make you feel happy. In my opinion, it's not a very honest world. Additionally, job security is not guaranteed. I thought my job would be secure forever because it had been that way for the last 40 years.

This is not the case anymore, and I will probably be laid off next year. I strongly believe that. That's just how it is. It has nothing to do with myself or my colleagues; it's simply the reality of the situation.

The industry is moving and shifting, and there is not enough money in the system anymore for the German car industry. Okay, so the next point is people, which sounds a bit confusing, but I actually really like the people I worked with on a personal level. However, you have to imagine that if you're 21 and the latest hire is over 30, there will always be a gap. Since we haven't hired in the last few years because of the economic situation, the average age is not getting younger by just bringing in new graduates. As a result, we are essentially a very old company, and there is still a significant age gap.

I would say it's not as big as it was before, but still significant. Additionally, they have much more pressure now. They are running around the office all day, trying to demonstrate how busy and important they are. This is just not my style. I'm not that guy, to be honest.

Yeah, so at least in the German industry, it's very conservative. You can just go your own way up as a manager, which means you cannot simply do your work better and then get paid more. You have to take on more responsibility, and it depends.

I don't really like to be that person. I don't like managing people and telling them what to do. It's not my thing. I mean, I could do it if I wanted to, but, to be honest, I actually don't want to. Another point is that you have very high competition.

So, a lot of Germans like to be engineers, and there is not as much industry in Germany as in the U.S. for engineers. This means that there is a large number of people competing for jobs in the industry, which is also reflected in the salary. Speaking of salary, there are certain levels that are usually very fixed, so you typically get promoted over the years. Another point to consider is working for someone else.

I believe that if software engineers are skilled, they will have plenty of opportunities to work for others or be self-employed. In my opinion, it's often the less skilled ones who end up at the big companies. As long as you're on a corporate path, it requires you to stay within that track. There isn't really time to pursue anything outside of work, to be honest. Additionally, at least in Germany, it's generally not allowed to have other contracts or side gigs. Therefore, you become highly dependent on your boss.

Some bosses may like you, while others may not, which can also be a kind of problem. Okay, the next point is the anti-business mindset in Germany specifically. We have many people here who seem completely crazy to outsiders. However, there are also individuals who do not think in business terms. I have talked to some friends about this, and I believe that some people — or we as Germans — sometimes, as a collective, do not truly understand how the economy works.

A lot of people work just for the government; they do what they are told and don't ask any questions. At the end of the day, in my opinion, the majority of these people don't really care if any industry disappears. Speaking from an engineering perspective, this is not a self-healing or self-regulated system, and it can quickly turn into socialism. The next point I want to discuss is the return to the office and office life in general.

In the beginning, I had a lot of problems with being at the office and in an unattractive city all day. However, this all changed with remote work. It may be enforced in the future, especially considering what we have seen with Elon Musk. Essentially, they are trying to get people out of the company, increasing the churn rate without paying any severance packages. Another point to consider is content creation. I really enjoy thinking outside the box and doing things like this, for example.

But in Germany, this is not appreciated at all. In a company, this sentiment often extends to people in general. We are just individuals passing by and noticing a camera on the street. People ask, "Oh, what are you doing? Are you recording?" Such questions can be very challenging at times. Additionally, if corporate representatives saw this, they would probably wonder, "What is he doing with only 100 subscribers?"

That's embarrassing. Also, filming in the office is not allowed, so a "day in the life" video is not possible. You will never see a "day in the life" video of me working in the office, and it's quite sad because this would actually be free promotion for the company.

But they are also not thinking in business terms. And yes, that's just the way it is sometimes. Additionally, regarding the management point, these management people often seem unclear about their roles. They are merely passing down upper-level requirements or decisions. I would probably also say that the company could function effectively with 60-70% fewer individuals of this kind.

In the event of layoffs, many managers often say, "Oh, I'm not that kind of person; I will stand up against upper management," and so on. In the end, they simply comply with the decisions made and push them through—that's essentially it. Of course, that is part of their job, but it raises the question of whether this is truly necessary. Now, let’s get to the conclusion of the video. Why this video? To inspire others by showing that tech layoffs are not the end of the world and to shed light on the situation for those outside the industry.

And also, another point: the German car industry is the highest-paying industry in Germany. Naturally, they can also seek the best talent in this field. However, many people envy those working in this industry and will not feel pity for the industry's downfall. In fact, there is a sense of spitefulness towards the individuals who find themselves unemployed as a result.

But the truth is that the German car industry could, like in the last few years, hire the most talented people. But whatever, that's a topic for another video. Okay, but what's next? I don't really know, to be honest. Maybe I will just take a break; maybe I will do a complete career switch, to be honest.

Maybe I will just take a break; maybe I will do a complete career switch. To be honest, I really enjoy making these videos right now. It's fun! However, I also have faith in my abilities, so I would probably find another job in this industry. It might not be a high-paying one, but it's a question I need to consider with this video. The question is whether I really want to continue in this direction or if I should pursue something different, like a career switch.

And to be honest, right now, I really enjoy producing these videos, which is kind of fun. However, I don’t think I have the skills or the appearance of a big influencer. What’s nice is that through filming and creating these videos, I’m learning a lot about filmmaking, editing, production, and speaking, which I’m trying to improve with each video. I think I will continue on this path, whatever comes next. And yeah, to be honest, if nobody watches these videos, it doesn’t make it as enjoyable. If you liked the video, make sure to give it a thumbs up!

And I hope this video also helped you through tough times. Remember that tough times never last. Since this video is probably already long enough, I think it's time to come to an end. I'll see you around! I will likely be creating some videos about ChatGPT and AI in the coming weeks, as well as exploring other AI APIs and how to use them.

So subscribe if you're interested in these kinds of videos. I would say happy coding. Peace out, and see you next time!