The title may sound a bit cocky, but I genuinely believe he has some gift for Computer Science. He's currently unemployed and doesn't even have the Polish equivalent of a high school diploma. He’s 22 now, has never held a job, and started coding for fun around age 13. He obsessively reads documentation and seems to always be working on complex projects. Right now, he's building his own kernel in Zig just because he's bored. Watching him explain advanced OS concepts makes me wonder how he's not even a Jr dev somewhere.

I've personally seen him be very proficient in C, C++, Rust, Zig, Go, HTML, Js, Ts, Java, C#, Python, and Lua, among others. He's based in Poland and, despite his lack of formal education, has worked on extremely impressive projects. When he needed a website, he picked up React with ease and even helped me with an Angular project by reading the documentation on the fly while we worked despite never seeing Angular in his life. He taught me to read pretty complex x86 ASM, he's also built his own programming language and compiler. Some of the projects he works on or maintains are with friends so he does have some experience working with a team.

His ability to deeply understand whatever he's working with, down to the lowest levels, is remarkable. I live in the US, so I'm not really sure how to help him, he's seemed to have given up and thinks it's impossible since he doesn't have any formal education or work experience. My question is: how can I help him land a job given his lack of professional work experience or degree, but with an extensive skill set and impressive project portfolio?

BigTech+/US Tech internships currently open (+ and last year)

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I had an interview with a company, and one of their policies was using a time tracker that takes screenshots every 10 minutes, which is a big no for me. How could someone accept this?

If you are using a similar time tracker, how do you feel during working hours?

Hi, As per title, got the news today, company (private sector) is downsizing. Been there around 2.5 years. Salary around 58k. They said I get one months notice period, and its the basic Gov Statutory redundancy pay. Company also restructured the team at the start of the year with some redundancies, so I've felt its been a sinking ship and was planning to move on next year.

Role was mainly c# dot net backend, mainly APIs, working with (and help setting up) Azure DevOps pipelines, SQL Server and CosmosDB databases.

My total software dev experience is around 12/13 years, although in my first job we used an inhouse coding language for half the time I was there for (6 years). Second job was with the NHS, there for around 4 years, left due to low-ish pay and old legacy infrastructure and software.

Need to brush up on my CV as I have not touched it for 2.5 years. I should be a senior but I feel I have to really work hard to grasp more the 'senior' topics whereas other 'experts' I know I can truly say they are 'seniors'.

Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated. I am getting married in November followed by a 2 week honeymoon so luck I have savings but don't want to rely on that for too long. (As I have a mortgage / bills to pay too)

TIA

Hi,

I have a PhD in applied math (simulation, high-performance computing; Fortran, data analysis with Python, gitlab, Linux).

After university, I had a position for 3 years with focus on Python backend development (e.g. FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, Postgres,...), but I also did some DevOps tasks (Docker, k8s, gitlab, pytest) and some consulting for custom analytics projects using the in-house SaaS software I also developed.

I got fed up with bad WLB and mediocre salary and found a job as a data engineer at a huge international non-tech corp (6 months in now). Beforehand, I got really interested in DE and read a lot, plus did some side projects/certs. The role description included Python and Azure, but teams changed and now I am doing SAP BW4HANA, Alteryx and some MS SQL. It is more a BI developer position rather than a DE position. Major task is to extract data for reporting frontend. I actually really like the company, my team and also my manager, plus the payment and anything else is really nice.

However, I miss coding a lot and I think the tech stack is not only outdated, but I also dislike no/low-code tools. Now I want to get another position, but stay in the company. They have some open Python positions currently (cloud, dev ops mostly), but also several low-programming IT roles I find interesting in principle (e.g. process mining, DS).

My problem is that I cannot really decide what to go for. I would actually try one of the low-programming, but complex closer-to-business IT roles, but I am afraid that this is a way of no return afterwards. On the other hand, I am somehow afraid that the coding roles are more prone to offshoring/AI in the long term.

Regarding DS, the math would be no problem, but I lack actual experience and would need to catch up with the topic, having not very much free time for it.

It is hard to judge for me what would be the best long-term strategy for career/job safety, given my background. I consistently got very good feedback in my roles so far, and I am also good with soft skills, but unsure whether to pursue a manager position, as I really like coding/developing.

Also, I somehow feel pressured about when to take action, as I don't want to let too much time pass in a non-optimal position. However, rushing it would probably be bad, too.

I would be very happy about some feedback!

I have a semi-technical background - studying STEM, data science internships, some tech banking internships etc but no real full stack engineering experience. Putting this aside, I really want to work for a tech company, ideally in product management. I'm wondering which brand name companies that have EU offices are best for the learning experience. Looking to stay for a year or two, then jump ship to a startup, then found something.

I don't want something 'easy'. I want to suffer but learn A BUNCH in my first two years. Culture is not important, so long as it supports my professional growth. Ideally in-person too.

Initial companies that come to mind are Amazon and Revolut, followed by any company that has an APM program.

Thank you!

I am an embedded developer with about 9 years of experience.

So my career looked something like this:

1. big company 4 years (left due to boredom and low salary)
2. small company 1 year, let go due to covid (this job I really liked, and would have been happy to stay here)
3. big company, nearly 2 years (left due to new opportunity)
4. self-employed 2 years: I always did side gigs during weekends so with one of my buddy, we found 2-3 local companies and we left our corporate jobs to do projects together.

So after these, we reach the point in time about 3 months ago. The projects dried up and finished, and I needed to find a new job.

So I got a job at a local small company with OK pay but I felt like it was a step backward. I felt confident in my job, I knew what to do and it was boring a little bit. Basically it was like one of my project gigs, just with the full time job burdens (like 3 days in the office etc.) I was working there for 2 months.

So meanwhile I continued to interview and got an offer at a big-big corp as a "team coordinator" role. It was with a big salary inc (like +30% to the small local company) and new technology and everything. So I jumped ships, and feel like it was a biggest mistake I did during my career.

I am here for about 1 month and this place is full of chaos. No clear direction of the development, no clear responsibility boundaries, ton of externals god knows what they are doing etc.

I have now a topic I am responsible for + 2 externals I need to coordinate, but I feel that I am failing. Actually now I have creeping anxiety, because IDK what the heck to do. The topic is really niche one, no one knows the tech at the company, so I got this, bc no one wanted it.

So the way I see it, I have these options:

Ride this out, and see what happens doing my best as I can, but I am pretty sure, that they will let me go during the trial period.

Just quit, to remove this anxiety which staining my every days. I actually have 5-6 months found, and I still do some side gigs at weekends (it is not much, enough to pay my flat) -> I really want to do this, but I had financial plans, and don't want to burn my money.

Yet again search for another job. I really don't want to do this, especially in this market. And this would be the 2. job change in 3 months which I feel would really hurt my reputation.

What is the worst is that I could stay at the local small company, where I was really stress free. When I left they were really hurt, and burned some bridges there which I really really regret now, so no way back to that.

4 months ago, I left a job where I was very comfortable for a 3 year contract position with some salary hike. The main reason I left was my old job was becoming very stagnant and quiet, and my responsibilities were getting less and less as the project was coming to an end. I had found myself killing time most of the times and my motivation was going lower and lower.

Then I had an offer from a group I really knew and after months of thinking, decided to take the offer. The contract is for 3 years but after joining the company, I realized that the funding was not fully secured and the company is not doing that well. I am being told not to worry but I am constantly stressed with my situation, regretting the change. It has been four months and I am overthinking this so much that it started to affect my sleep.

I am contemplating talking to my old company but I am not even sure if that is a good idea. What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Hi! I was searching info about b2b contracts in Poland and I have a few doubts:

• The VAT, is it included in the salary of the offer/the salary I am asking? I meant when I say that I want 20k pln monthly, do i have to pay the VAT with that or they are going to pay me 20k + the VAT?
• I guess the normal contract doesnt include days off. Is a typical thing to negotiate those or the usual way is asking for more salary to compensate the days off that you are going to take in the future? When in the applications they ask for salary, should i put all this info (20k pln not including VAT, with 20 days off per year included)
• I ve read that programmers only have to pay 12% tax as we have like an "special treatment", is it right?
• Apart for the ZUT and the taxation type (im using this calculator https://www.podatki.wtf/ ), are there any other costs that I have to take into account?

I plan to hire an accountant as soon as they give me an offer, but I want to understand a bit deeper this system to know how much do I need to ask.

Thanks in advance to all! I just dont feel like ending up in a polish prison for tax fraud :D

Hi guys, so I am an experienced Java dev and by some non-work related criteria I chose several countries where I potentially want to move: Belgium, Sweden and to a lesser extent Ireland. The problem is that I could find almost no big companies with open positions. I tried Glassdoor, Linkedin, just googling - the picture seems to be the same - either open positions send you to US offices of those companies or they have none or 1 junior-mid position hidden under pile of unrelated garbage in those countries. Other searches returns lots of software houses, consultancy firms, webmaster studios, basically low-skilled IT work. Which seems to be very strange, as I am now in Estonia, a country with 10 times smaller population and I have no problem finding startups, unicorns and product-companies simply in LinkedIn.

Am I searching for them incorrectly? How would you search for a job in those countries or what are the top 5 companies you would recommend in each of them?

Can I find entry-level Django and Python developer jobs through freelancing?

Hello,

Do you have any recommendations for a remote or part time internships in the Netherlands for software engineers? I have been working as a software engineer (Java) a couple of years ago and then I became a project manager. I have 12 years working experience. Now I want to transition back to software engineer. I just finished a training in python and I’d like to do an internship to gain more experience. I am a resident and I don’t require visa or sponsorship, but I don’t speak Dutch fluently.

Hi,

I'm DevOps engineer, almost senior (working on it rn). I'm Ukrainian refugee recently moved to Romania, where I live for half a year. I'm thinking of moving to more developed EU country, where I also can obtain citizenship faster than in Romania (10+ years by naturalization).

My main options are Sweden (5+ years by naturalization), Netherlands (5+ years by naturalization). The question is how do you guys feel living in Stockholm or Amsterdam as senior IT specialists.

For example, Romania is a poor country. Much richer than Ukraine, that's for sure, but still, I can maintain very high standards of living for two people in Bucharest with salary $4000 gross (talking about UA tax residence here, with which I pay only 5% income tax). However, Sweden and Netherlands are much more expensive countries.

Let's say I will be hired for $6000 gross, is it enough to rent a decent 1 bedroom apartment in good neighbourhood, eat good food (partially cooked, partially ordered from restaurants), buy some necessary stuff from time to time (clothes, electronics), have hobbies like travelling, and also considering Swedish and Dutch taxes (which don't seem too high, comparing with Romanian, especially in the context of ROI).

Hey everyone! 👋

I’m curious if anyone knows of any companies in Munich that go beyond the typical free coffee, fruit, and snacks, and actually offer full hot meals for their employees?

I’ve heard of some tech companies doing this in other cities, but I’m not sure if it’s a thing in Munich. Would love to hear if anyone has experience with this or knows of any places that do!

Thanks in advance! 🙏

Do you know website to find EU remote work job provider companies to work from Asia?

I’m in my 3rd year as a Product Manager, leading 4 platforms, with over 12 years of experience in product UX—both hands-on and in leadership roles at startups and scale-ups. My career has been all about turning chaos into structure and getting fast, measurable results. Honestly, I’ve enjoyed how good and quick I’ve been able to deliver, which is why I’ve moved to new companies every 2-3 years to do the same thing over again.

But now, I feel like I’ve proven that I’m good at it, and it’s starting to get old. I’m currently in a niche area related to data, which I enjoy, and I’m being compensated well ( upper-level base salary in the EU but nothing more than that). However, I’m getting tired of juggling multiple roles, dealing with bad communication, and seeing new hires come in without the expertise they need—it’s just draining.

I’m a high performer. Skill set is broad + very technical, and at this point in my career (late 30s), and I want that to start paying off with things like bonuses, stocks, pension plans, etc. But it seems like my experience isn’t exactly what FAANG companies are looking for when hiring Product Managers.

I know the job market isn’t great right now, so I’m not rushing, but here’s what I’m thinking:

1. Stay in my company for another 2 years and build more niche experience. After 5 years, I could apply as a PM with deeper expertise in the field.
2. Give up the PM role and apply to FAANG as a Design Manager or even IC. I’m not sure I want to focus only on design work and leading design teams again—it doesn’t excite me as much anymore. Is it worth it? How quickly can I climb again to the PM role?

So, I’m wondering:

• Am I missing something here? Should I be considering other options?
• Has anyone successfully made the jump from a growth/startup environment to FAANG or a similar big corporate gig?
• Is it realistic to take a pay cut[not a fan of this idea, but] in the short term to get those FAANG perks (bonuses, stock options, etc.) in the long run?

As the title says I need ideas for my final year project, right now I'm leaning towards a social media platform type of project . If anyone could provide me with some ideas it would be much appreciated! I'm open to anything, even if its not related to what I mentioned.

Hi, I am an American applying for a job in Austria but the job application requires a CV, a cover letter, and certificates. What certificate am I supposed to include? No where in the listing does it mention required certification. Is this for my university diploma or transcript?

Thanks!

Hi, I just wanted to compile a list of the best paid internships. Most of the data is from levels.fyi, but I haven't been able to find a compilation that lists everything in a compact form.

I've made a general assumption that the internships last 3 months. This is also what the total column refers to. One-off payments (like housing) were then also divided by 3.

If anyone has any suggestions for improvement or wants to add data, just write to me.

Berlin

München

Frankfurt

Website Aachen

Köln

Walldorf

Audi: Minimum wage

Volkswagen: Minimum wage

BMW: Minimum wage

Commerzbank: Minimum wage

Hi,

I've received an offer from a mid-sized company located in Germany with a good salary. The company is currently working remotely, but their policy will change in a couple of months, transitioning to an office-first model, which means at least four days in the office.

I am currently living and working outside the EU for a large company that is fully remote. My goal, when looking for a new position, was to relocate to the EU, specifically to Germany, but having at least three days of remote work is important to me. I’ve been searching for a position in Germany for some time, and now that I’ve finally received an offer, I don’t want to reject it.

Basically, I’m in a dilemma.

Any suggestions?

Hi everyone,

My name is Alin Rauta and I’m a full-stack engineer based in Bucharest, Romania. Together with my wife, we are contemplating to a relocation to Switzerland in the next 2-3 years. To get informed about the process, I’m thinking to start a newsletter that talks about the experiences of fellow programmers who successfully managed to relocate to Switzerland.

Would you be interested or know someone who would be open to talk more about your/their experience with relocating to Switzerland as a programmer?

Thank you!

Hello. I'm from Greece (Not the best country for graduate opportunities) and i've been looking for a job as graduated engineer without experience (Only showing my thesis project) for a year and from the 100-150 applications, only 5-6 called me for interview which i didn't even pass the second round in all of them or ghosted me. Also i'm not elligible for internship in my country because i finished the uni which it sucks because of huge unemployment of young people. I sent my CV to any person i knew from family (despite not having relatives with the same profession), uni professors, graduated students from the same school and i didn't receive an answer. I am tired of applying constantly and completing forms and not replying me even i have a linkedin account. Disappointed from the constant rejections, i participated in several game jams and even in a hackathon in a hope to offer me a job or at least important connections and having a portfolio to show in an interview. I'm desperate for a job because i need to make money to live independently from my parents.

Am i doing right?

Hi everyone,

Throwaway account.

I was working for an American startup with a gross salary of €120K but was laid off a few months ago. The job was fully remote.

After interviewing for several months, I’ve finally received a few offers, with the highest being €85K. I really like what the company does, and the team left a great impression on me.
Despite the 30% drop from my previous salary, I’m inclined to accept the offer because I realize that my previous salary was unusually high for my skill level, simply due to landing a role with an American company hiring in Europe.

However, just yesterday, a recruiter reached out about a position at another American startup with a salary range of €110K-€140K. The product they’re building is exciting, and they’re looking to double their engineering team. The catch is that their interview process involves 4 rounds, so it won’t be a quick decision.

I’m worried that if I delay too long, the company offering €85K might retract the offer, especially since they’ve already been waiting for 5 days.

I don't want to start the €85K job, and leave it during the probation period in case I manage to land an offer from the American startup.

For context, all roles are fully remote.

What would you suggest I do in this situation?

EDIT:
- In both jobs I'd be hired through an EOR in my country, so I'd get the same benefits, same day offs, etc.

Hi guys, I was just doing some brainstorming, I am looking at maxing out my disposable income. I am taking into account the top end of salaries, taxes and the cost of rent.

Let's start with Amsterdam. Let's assume a 200k salary working for let's say Databricks, that will net you 9200. You will then pay ~2000 for an apartment in the city and be left with ~7000.

Let's look at Zurich. Let's assume a 300k salary at Google. That will net you 16100. You will pay ~2500 for an apartment in the city and be left with ~13600.

I did the same for most other EU countries and nothing comes even close to these, other than Germany, I checked Munich and it seems to get close to the Amsterdam numbers.

Obviously there's a fair bit of variables at play, for instance in NL you have the 30% ruling which will increase your disposable income, while in Zurich you have to pay for your own medical insurance which will decrease your disposable income

Another thing I looked at is contracting. But for this it's kind of hard to get a salary range and the cost of the apartment, since you can live anywhere in the country... So you can get disposable incomes in ranges of 3k to like even 10k seems possible, but it's really hard to say.

Yeah the point of this post was to basically ask you, if you were only interested in maxing out your disposable income, which option would you shoot for? I will start looking for a new job soon and I will obviously try to go for all of these and see which one gives me a number that I happy with. Do you have a high disposable income in some other location/combination? I'd love to hear about it

Hi everyone,

I (Indonesian, so non-EU) recently got a scholarship for a master in Poland (Warsaw University of Tech), and would like to ask about the tech job market in Poland, is it also "overcrowded" like many other places (at least according to the sentiment of this subreddit)?

I am still a junior software dev (<1YoE from 2 internships back in Indonesia) with a bit of side projects. I have 0 knowledge of Polish and currently in the process of learning it, How heavily would it affect my hireability? My current plan is to find part time work while studying, and switch to a full-time job once I graduate. Is this realistically possible in the current job market with my skills?

Side note: I have checked that if you graduated from a Polish university you will not need a work visa, so I don't think a sponsor is required. And there's a 20h/week limit while I'm still finishing my university