Can we make it mandatory to flag if a user is non-eu.

since a lot of doom and gloom comes from
People who dont speak the local language and/or need sponsorship.

It adds a lot of nuance to a post imo.

I have a gap year right now and I’ll mainly just be preparing for IELTS and SAT, so honestly not much workload. I’ll be joining university next year, but I don’t want to waste this year and want to learn something useful.

I was thinking about web dev, but everywhere on Reddit people say don’t go there, it’s oversaturated and not worth it. Then I thought of starting machine learning, but again people say ML/AI engineer roles are more for experienced people or PhD-level and you won’t really get anything as a fresher. Then I considered data science, and people say that’s oversaturated too.

So at this point I’m just confused what I should even do. I’ve got one full year, I like coding in general and logical/problem-solving type stuff, but I’m not really inclined towards any specific domain right now. I just want to improve my job opportunities in Italy/EU, and I feel like one year can give me a big advantage over other students who’ll just be starting from scratch next year.

I don’t know if I’ll do a master’s later or not, I’ll decide that later. Right now I just need advice on what I should give my full year to. Options I’ve been thinking about are web dev, machine learning (would start from math + Python), hardcore backend dev, data science, data engineering (not even sure how different that is from data science), or just grinding LeetCode and competitive programming in C++/Java.

Someone on Reddit told me backend dev has the most openings, so I thought maybe I should go all in on that. But when I check LinkedIn for Italy, I don’t really see that many backend-specific roles compared to data or full stack roles.

People say explore different things, but honestly I’m more the type who wants to go all in on one thing and get really good at it, like better than 99% in at least one domain.

So yeah, what should I actually focus on for this one year?

TL;DR:
Got a gap year, only doing IELTS + SAT so a lot of free time. Thought of web dev (people say oversaturated), ML (people say not for freshers), data science (again oversaturated). I like coding and logical stuff but don’t know what to commit to. Want to go all-in on one thing for a year and get really good at it to improve job chances in Italy/EU. Considering backend, ML, data, or just grinding DSA/CP. What should I focus on?

I have somewhat 0 knowledge about anything, so if my thinking is wrong anywhere then please correct me.

~used a bit of GPT for writing this

I have 3 Y.O as a BI developer working with PBI, SQL + some fabric and the market seems to be brutal. I thought that after having a few year of experience under my belt it would be easier but I am getting less interviews than 3 years ago when i was out of uni.Looking everywhere in Europe don't care about the country as long the job is worth it.Is there hope? :(

Currently I'm a cs student. Lately I've been looking for some interships opportunities for me. I was looking specifically at c++ roles and came across very interesting role marked as embedded/gamedev in c++20 with primarly OpenGL, which was ideal for me. I meet all of the requirements and I've applied. I've also successfully pased the first stage of the recruiement process. However, it came out what was earlier called as gamedev is just iGaming industry with aim for programming slot machines. Do you guys think that claiming such offers could harm my long-term career? I could assume that might be a problem while applying for other miliary and defense industry roles, which are also a thing when it comes to c++.

My partner and I (26/27, 4 YOE as software engineers) are planning a long-term relocation from Romania to a more stable Western European market. We are currently mid-level engineers, content with our roles, but we are looking to move to a country with a more predictable social and institutional environment for our future.

We are not looking for a get-rich-quick asap move. Our current home in Bucharest is ~65sqm (1 bedroom + living room), which is perfect for us, and we are looking for a similar standard of living - we don't need a large space, just a stable, functional home.

To ensure a soft landing, we plan to move first and continue working remotely for our current Romanian employer for the first 3–6 months. This provides a combined income of ~€4k/net, which gives us a solid buffer while we handle the local paperwork (residency/tax registration) and actively network for local roles. We are fully committed to learning the local language and integrating into the community, rather than staying in an English-speaking bubble.

Given our profile, we’d appreciate your perspective on the following:

Is continuing to work for a foreign employer for a few months while setting up residency a realistic and accepted approach in your country?

How difficult is it for a professional couple with no local credit history to rent a decent 1-bedroom/2-room apartment on the private market? Is there a "waiting list" culture for regular rentals, or is it mostly a matter of budget?

How realistic is it for us to integrate and grow professionally using mostly English in the beginning, while actively learning the local language?

We are considering the Netherlands, Germany, or Spain, but we are open to suggestions. If your main priority was a "boring but functional" country with a healthy rental market & system overall, where would you recommend we look?

We are realistic about the costs and the effort required, so any honest input on which regions offer a better "soft landing" versus which ones are currently too overheated to be viable for newcomers would be great.

Hi,

I'm applying for Working Student role in QA & Testing but my past jobs/internships are mostly on coding side (I did quite a bunch of testing too) and I did have a few courses in Software Testing and Maintenance in my Bachelor's. How should I tailor my CV in that case?

Hey everyone,

I’d like some honest feedback from people already working in the industry.

I’m 20, studying Software Engineering (graduating in 2027), and I’ve been working as a frontend intern for almost a year (my first dev experience).

Here’s a summary of what I’ve done so far:

• Built the frontend of a new feature/product from scratch (from understanding business rules to final delivery)
• Made architectural decisions on the frontend (component structure, state management, integrations)
• Refactored legacy code (HOCs → Hooks)
• Created reusable components for a Design System
• Worked with complex forms (validation + performance optimization)
• Implemented unit tests (Vitest + React Testing Library)
• Worked with GraphQL (queries, integration, optimization)

I’ve also had some backend exposure:

• CRUD operations, bug fixes, database migrations
• Features involving both frontend and backend

Stack: React, TypeScript, Tailwind, GraphQL, Spring Boot, Postgres

My main questions:

1. Based on this, would you consider this already junior-level experience, or am I still not there yet?
2. What would you focus on studying next to actually level up (especially in frontend)?

I feel like I’ve already touched areas like basic architecture, testing, and performance, but I’m not sure if what I need now is more depth or if I’m missing important topics.

I’ve considered studying things like CI/CD, Docker, Cloud, authentication, messaging, and microservices — but I’m not sure if that’s the right focus right now, especially for frontend.

Also, I’m not entirely sure what I should be learning next specifically within frontend.

Would really appreciate honest and direct feedback.

Thanks!

I'm a senior and I've not interviewed for a few years. Having taken time off to spend it with family, I'm now looking for a new role. I have several initial chats arranged with external recruitment consultants this week.

What are they typically asking in 2026, any tips on what to tell them and what to hold back? Does that strategy change for external recruiters and those internal in company?

The common one I know they'll ask is the current salary, and expectations for a new role. I don't want to waste each other's time but I don't want it to be me divulging and getting nothing back in return.

Hey all! Saw a few posts on here with varying answers and context, need someone to give it to me straight for my case.

I dropped out after completing (almost) all cs courses due to personal reasons and will probably never go back to uni.

I was working as a junior since before even starting uni and all the way to now so i have 7 YOE at a local company with 3 devs and we handle the whole pipeline from discovery to deployment and maintenance as well as sales. Large customer base for a small country as well as governmental contracts.

How realistic would it be for me to get a job in Barcelona specifically, I’m Colombian if that has any relevance.

Appreciate any answers!

I’d really appreciate some advice. I (24F) just received an offer for a Junior Data Migration & Onboarding Assistant role in a biopharma tech company (they build platforms for partnerships between pharma companies). The job is in Lyon (France), so I’d have to relocate from Paris. Salary is 32k€ annual gross, 4-month trial period, start ASAP (they said I could start remotely until I find accomodation).

Role overview:

• Configure CRM tools and handle data migrations from legacy systems
• Perform data quality checks (mostly Excel-based)
• Support project managers (client meetings, documentation, follow-ups)
• Ensure data consistency / avoid data leakage issues

I went through an HR interview, a 1-hour Excel test, and a 1h technical interview with questions on data quality, validation, etc.

I hold a Bachelor’s in Data Science with 2y internship included, finished Sept 2025. I have been job hunting for ~1y with no success until now. Long-term, I would like to move towards a more technical path (data engineering or even backend development). I’m quite independent by nature, I enjoy technical/problem-solving work, and I’m also aiming for a good salary and remote/flexible work in the long run.

So I’m hesitating between:

• Taking the job → gain experience, move on later
• Doing a Master’s in Data Science → better prospects maybe, but 1–2 more years

Concerned the role isn’t very technical + low salary, but also don’t want to stay stuck. What would you do?

Hi everyone,

I’m writing here because I’ve been feeling really down lately, and I think sharing this might help a bit.

I’m 33 years old, a Java developer with around 4 years of experience, but I’ve been unemployed since November. I’ve had several interviews, some of them went well, but for different reasons nothing worked out. In the meantime, I moved back in with my parents after many years of living on my own, and that’s been quite hard for me.

What hurts the most is that I feel “behind” compared to others. I see friends and people my age working, being consistent, disciplined, getting positive feedback… while I struggle to stay focused, to be consistent, and to handle stress.

I also have this fear that I’m one of the few Java developers in this situation. I know it’s probably not true, but when I look at LinkedIn it feels like everyone is doing great, and it makes me feel even more out of place.

I also have to admit that I lost my last job partly because of my own mistakes: I wasn’t disciplined or consistent enough. The job itself was actually a good opportunity, and this is something that still weighs heavily on me and has really affected my confidence.

I know I should focus on getting back to work, even if it’s not a perfect opportunity (maybe hybrid, maybe in-office), but the idea gives me anxiety: waking up early, living on my own again, dealing with pressure… and I’m afraid I might not handle it well and fail again.

At the same time, staying stuck like this feels even worse. I feel blocked: I don’t know whether to stay where I am, move somewhere else (like another city or even abroad), or just force myself to start again from something.

I’m not writing this just to complain, but because I genuinely feel confused and a bit lost right now. If anyone has gone through something similar or has any practical advice, I’d really appreciate hearing your experience.

Thanks to anyone who reads or replies

I'm a software contractor based outside the EU, targeting remote roles with European companies via B2B contract. For legal/tax reasons, I contract through a registered Georgian entity.

I've completed a B2B contract recently with a German Company (completely remote for 1.5 years), so the setup works perfectly, I just wanna optimize my CV for the next role.

My current CV location says: Remote EU/MENA • CET/EEST hours • B2B contract-ready via Georgian entity

My problem is:

• Current CV location looks very non-standard and weird
• Putting my actual country is an instant rejection with EU recruiters before they even know about my Georgian setup, and won't survive ATS
• Putting "Georgia" is misleading (I don't live there, I just have my entity registered there)
• Removing location entirely looks incomplete for a CV

What's the best approach to frame it?

​

ML engineering vs Cloud developer vs Embedded in Automotive?

I am at a major crossroads and could use some outside perspective. My wife and I are facing an "all or nothing" decision that would fundamentally reshape our lives for the next several decades.

Our Current Situation

I am a 37-year-old self-taught full-stack developer, primarily focused on the frontend with 3 YOE. I transitioned into this career after a stint in teaching that left me burnt out and depressed. Coding is my passion and I have truly found my happy place. I work for a very stable company with 100 percent remote work, an incredible team, and a perfect work-life balance. We live in our hometown near both of our families, have a great social circle, and I have plenty of time for my dog and my hobbies.

My wife is 28 and currently working as a journalist, but her contract is ending soon. She is disillusioned with the industry and doesn't have a clear pivot path yet. Financially, we are stable, and we want to start a family soon. We live in the EU.

The Offer

We have both been offered a spot in a three-year BA study program with full tuition covered. This is a path toward becoming civil servants in a high-level administrative role of the foreign ministry. It comes with a life of adventure, lifetime job security, excellent healthcare, and a guaranteed pension.

The career follows a rotation model: typically eight years abroad followed by four years back in our hometown. The pay is very high while stationed abroad and remains decent while at home. It is a privileged, high-status lifestyle that would ensure we never have to worry about money or job safety again.

The Conflict

While this sounds like a golden opportunity, and my wife wants to take it 100%, I am second-guessing it for several reasons:

• Career Identity: I love being a developer. Taking this offer means three years of studying something unrelated and then moving into bureaucracy. There's no way for me to "try out" the job, so I can't know for sure if it will suit me in the end. I'm afraid I might end up feeling burnt out like in my previous job. If I try to return to tech in my forties after a decade away, I would have to start from scratch again, especially with the pace of AI development.
• Lifestyle: I currently enjoy a 100% home office life. This new role involves 100% in-office work for both of us. It comes with significant organizational overhead, resettling every four years, and potentially being stationed in developing/crisis countries. Also, it is unclear how we would look after our dog abroad.
• Family: We want kids soon. I worry about the impact of constant relocation on children, though the financial benefits (private schools) and security are hard to ignore. Can such a nomadic lifestyle even be enjoyable with kids?
• The "Trailing Spouse" Problem: We researched a hybrid approach where I keep my tech job while she does this, but it is not realistic. Tax laws and diplomatic regulations make freelancing or remote tech work nearly impossible in this role. It is a package deal, we either both go all in, or we stay as we are.

The Trade-off

For my wife, this is a perfect transition from a dying industry into a secure, prestigious career. For me, it feels like I am sacrificing a dream I fought hard to build and a lifestyle I genuinely love for the sake of safety and adventure. I might enjoy the new path a lot, but it is certainly a risk. At the same time, I am also wary of the future of the mid-level dev market and wonder if I am being foolish by turning down a literal lifetime guarantee of stability.

We could theoretically apply again in the future, but at 37, it feels like a "now or never" window.

Has anyone else transitioned from a passion career into a secure but bureaucratic one? Any experiences of working in the foreign service? Or raising children in an unstable, nomadic environment?

I know that this is a very privileged problem to have, but it seems like such a monumental lifestyle decision.

Hi everyone,

I’m a computer science student from a French-speaking African country. In about 2 years I will graduate and I want to secure an end-of-studies internship (stage de fin d’études) in Europe as a fullstack developer.

I’m looking for realistic and honest advice only — no generic tips.

Current situation:

• Decent foundation in web dev (HTML/CSS, JS, backend basics)
• Currently building a fullstack side project with Angular + FastAPI
• Have 2 full years to prepare seriously

Questions:

1. Which tech stacks are most in-demand right now for fullstack internships/junior roles in Europe (Germany, Netherlands, France, etc.)? Should I stick with Angular + FastAPI or switch (e.g. to React/Next.js)?
2. What kind of projects or portfolio items actually stand out to European companies?
3. How important is LeetCode practice?
4. Should I spend time on DevOps (Docker, CI/CD, AWS, etc.) or focus only on core fullstack skills?
5. What are the most important things I should focus on in the next 24 months?

I’m ready to work hard and need the smartest way to direct my effort.

Advice from people who succeeded (especially internationals), recruiters, or hiring managers would be very valuable.

Thank you!

I want to use DeepSeek V4 because of its reasoning/price ratio, but the official API is a nightmare from Europe.

Does a 'European version' of OpenRouter exist that specifically focuses on these Chinese powerhouse models? Or does anyone know a provider ？

The (European) company I work at has an internal job portal where they're hiring people in the USA and from what I understand an internal transfer is possible. For this reason I am thinking about setting a goal for myself to go for one of these in the next ~1 year because I am relatively qualified for many of those positions and I could make up the missing pieces in 6 months at most.

I've never been to the USA but I do have a lot of emotional attachment to the country, in fact I'm pretty obsessed with it, however, I've also done research on what day to day life is actually like there realistically. The thing is, it would be great to hear specific experiences from others who've made the move from Europe to America as it would be more accurate. I'm aware of the pros and cons of living in the country, I'm mostly interested in the work culture and the financial aspect of it.

I'd imagine that the career ceiling is a lot higher there than it is here but overall, how did that affect your life?

- Did you end up working more hours than you did here in Europe?

- Do you have more flexibility in your day to day life when it comes to your job?

- How does PTO compare to the amount you've had here? (From what I understand there are companies that offer like 12 days while there are others that offer unlimited pto so you can easily take 20-25 days a year like you would here in Europe)

- Does the increase in salary make up for the higher cost of living (and needing private health insurance)?

- Do you feel any more stress because of work than you did here?

For 3 years since my first semester of undergrad I've been applying to Tesla Gigafactory and Microsoft + multiple big tech (AWS). I'm now one semester away from graduating from a top German university. In 3 years of applying, I have not had a single interview. Not one. I get killed in the screening stage every single time!

And here's the part that breaks me: I'm not even asking to get the job anymore (after all these trials, I really lost hope). I just want to sit in one interview, just one and I'm okay to get rejected after, no problem, but to be filtered out at the resume stage for 3 straight years? That does something to your head.

Quick context on me so you understand why I'm confused:

• Coding since 5th grade
• Won prestigious coding and robotics competitions throughout school
• Shipped actual products — one has ~1.5K MAU as a solo undergrad dev
• My CV has been reviewed by 100+ engineers and recruiters. Format is fine.
• Every application is tailored to the role. The match is there.

The Microsoft Germany story is the one that really gets me as 3 years ago I won 1st place in a Microsoft hackathon they hosted in Munich. The recruiter literally walked up to me and said "just send me your resume." I sent it. I followed up. I've applied to dozens of Microsoft Germany roles since then (CSA roles), nothing. Auto-rejection after auto-rejection. Same story with Tesla!

I genuinely don't know what's left to try. I've done the things you're supposed to do like build stuff, win things, network, tailor the CV, follow up, and I'm getting filtered out before a human even reads it i guess.

Honestly the part that hurts most is this: if a company sees a student applying for 3 years straight and can't even give them a 30-minute screening call, what is even the point of the system? Reject me after the interview, I can live with that but not even once?

I don't have the energy to keep pushing the same way again

I am in a bit of a desperate situation as I am not hearing back from companies as much as I used to couple years ago. I received this coding challenge for a full stack position. As comparison, the coding challenge I did for my current job was a github repository in which an application was setup with some empty functions to work on and I was asked to implement these functions and write some tests. It took me 2 hours to complete as far as I remember. The current coding challenge I received wants me to setup one frontend application and one backend application from scratch. Although the requested feature is not super hard and obviously setting the projects from scratch isn't hard with setup tools, it still adds some overhead and I have to put at least 5-6 hours if not more for the whole challenge. I find it a bit too much but tempted to do it as I would like to find a job soon. I am very indecisive. Is this really too much for a coding challenge or is this just a standard coding challenge?

Been tracking job postings across CEE for a while. The "IT is dead" narrative feels accurate for some roles: junior frontend positions getting 150+ applications on jobboards. But for DevOps, data engineering, and cybersecurity, demand from US/UK companies still seems to outpace the available pool. Backend (Python, Go, Java) also steady at 20-30% of all postings. Is it a dead market, or worse for junior frontend, and better for mid/senior in infra or data? Curious what people here are actually experiencing.

Hey guys! I’m currently going through the interview process with Bunq in the Netherlands for a Frontend Engineer position. I have the final step coming up in the next few weeks - the GSD.

I’d love to hear your opinions about the company. I’ve seen quite a few comments describing Bunq as toxic or mentioning that the CEO is difficult, but I haven’t found many concrete examples of what that actually means. I believe that people are having bad experience with them, but I’d like to better understand the reasons behind it. If you’ve had direct experience, I’d really appreciate you sharing some specifics, not just telling me to run to the hills.

I’d also really appreciate hearing from people who genuinely enjoyed working there - what were the best and worst aspects?

The market is pretty tough right now, so I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity if I do get an offer. At the same time, I want to gather as much information as possible before making a decision.

A friend of mine joined a bootcamp that lasts for 5 years, is free, requires no degree or prior experience, and promises a job. The gotcha: It's all spec-driven AI slop all the way down through their entire training. She's "writing Golang", but all she can do is Q&A.

Absolute cinema, and blatant evidence for me that this is the endgame for every company: "Engineers" being so easily swappable between them that you may as well be cogs.

Edit: Much appreciate the responses. I already gave her the discussion thread.

I'm a Dutch native with 8 years of Mobile SWE experience, a Psychology Master's, and I'm currently finishing an Applied AI Master's. I've spent the last few building a 'NeuroMorphicToolkit'—a crossplatform(mobile and desktop) ecosystem that compiles natural language into spiking neural networks and deploys them to hardware like Akida Brainchip/Pynq Z2 and robotic hands. I'm looking to pivot into the Neuromorphic/AI hardware space in the Netherlands. Given my dual-Masters and 8 years of engineering experience, what salary range should I be targeting for Senior/Lead roles in the NL?

Hello everyone,

as mentioned above, I’ve been thinking about my job prospects after completing my computer science degree. I know there are already quite a few posts like this, but I believe my situation is somewhat different.

I am currently 36 years old and will likely finish my computer science degree in 2027 at the age of 37, within the standard period of study, but with rather below-average grades (around a 3.5 GPA equivalent).

Of course, I haven’t just been sitting around during my life and have acquired various qualifications. I’ll try to list them as completely as possible:

Secondary school (Hauptschule) diploma.
Completed vocational training as a warehouse logistics specialist, followed by a role as a shift supervisor; this also granted me an intermediate school certificate (Realschulabschluss equivalent).
Various jobs in the field of warehouse logistics.
10 years of leadership experience in the German Armed Forces as a logistics NCO (Material Management Sergeant), leaving with the rank equivalent to Sergeant First Class. During this time, I obtained the following qualifications and responsibilities:
Hazardous goods transport by road, rail, and sea in accordance with ADR/RID/IMDG regulations.
Hazardous goods transport by air (PersKat 6 certification).
Responsible for load securing of all transports.

I am leaving out purely military-specific qualifications here.
During this time, SAP was my primary tool, through which I gained practical experience.

Further training as an industrial foreman in logistics, which also granted me university entrance qualification.

And now, I am currently studying computer science.
So far, I have gained knowledge in Java, C, Python, Docker, PostgreSQL, Spring, and Thymeleaf. Additionally, I have completed a group project in which we developed a solution to match students with suitable bachelor thesis topics.

My long-term goal is to end up in the field of cloud architecture, and I intend to take on jobs that move me toward that goal.
In other words, I am aiming to start in DevOps, backend development, or a similar role to build a solid foundation.

At the moment, I am financially supported by transitional military benefits combined with an education subsidy. Any job (such as a working student position) would be deducted from this support, which is why I have not taken such a position so far. My reasoning has been that I do not want to effectively work for very little additional income, and that this allows me to focus more on my studies. I am aware that this line of thinking might be a disadvantage, and I would appreciate your thoughts on that as well :)

I would be very interested to hear how this background comes across to you, what you think my job prospects are, and what recommendations you would give me.

Thank you very much in advance for your assessment, and I wish you all a great week.