23M from the USA studying my masters in energy engineering in Munich, Germany.
I have enjoyed Munich so far (1 year in) and made some occasional, hang out sometimes on the weekends type friends, but no close friends I can talk to daily or every other day about anything deeper than surface level stuff. I am scared this will just continue if I choose to live here long term, as making friends in Germany without speaking German is notoriously hard. If I were offered an internship or full time position, I would make it a priority to learn German.
I was planning to go back to the US to start looking for jobs after graduating, but I might have an opportunity to intern and then maybe work at a famous Bavarian automotive company as a battery engineer. I love the benefits of working here and work-life balance, even at a lower salary. The salary at this company is also a bit higher than other companies in the region for my position.
This has got me thinking where would you guys recommend to stay?
Weather is not an issue for me as I really enjoy Munich’s weather — it is pretty similar to the Northeast where I’m from.
Thanks!
I’ve spent some time D- Land. It was hard making friends, however my German improved and I was able to converse. It took time but I managed to meet wonderful people. So many years later I still have contacts there and I see them as a second family. I’ll suggest you give it a try for your career. Like others mentioned, you can always return to the States.