The Truth About Study Abroad and Its Rewards
In 2015 I moved to Germany to get Master’s degree in Computer Science from the top German University in Munich. The main reason was the desire to live in another country and to find something new and interesting for me.
Using study as a way to move opens the most number of doors, because, after graduation, the graduate is, in fact, on equal footing with the locals. This applies not only to their education and knowledge level but also to their chances of getting a job, as well as status (being accepted, welcomed). The second reason was seeing the results of my sister’s studies at the University in Austria. I saw how her views changed, that they became broader, and she proved that it was possible to improve the quality of life by an order of magnitude. Of course, there was an understanding that strategically this was the right step in development because having reached certain working and personal positions, you notice that you want to develop further, but in the local market, growth would not be so significant. You start to burn out from this because, in all the years before moving, I had the opportunity to see another richer life and meet many smart people.
How I Chose the City and the Country
Initially, I applied to about 20 universities. My documents were accepted at New York University and several good universities in England. But it just so happened that I didn’t want to, and in fact, I didn’t have the opportunity to pay for my studies at these universities without a scholarship.
On the other hand, I replaced my study time with work and extracurricular activities, which I am sure played a more important role in order to get in at all.
As a result, I graduated from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) with a Master’s in Informatics (Computer Science). In the lists top universities in the world, this university is higher than others where I was accepted (top 50), and also has a leading practice in data processing, which I was doing at the time and was why I applied to it. Also, my childhood is connected with Germany, and I visited part of my family there several times. In addition, it was a confidently good option for the development of life for the next 5–10 years. This option contained a very high quality of life and the understanding that it can indeed be achieved.
How much did it cost?
Tuition in Germany has long been virtually free, with some associated administration costs, and by the time I got there, it had become the same in Bavaria, where Munich is located. To pay for everyday expenses, as well as housing, German citizens can receive assistance from the state if they do not want to depend on their parents or cannot work during their studies.
University admission processes. Language, Documents, and Application.
For admission, it was necessary to collect a rather large package of documents compared to other universities and send them by mail. The peculiarity of TUM was that it was necessary to complete and independently compare the Bachelor’s / Specialist’s courses with the TUM courses that students must take before studying for a Master’s. Yes, it takes time, but it’s worth it to have the chance to get a good education at almost no cost. Moreover, earning money to pay for studies takes much more time. Getting a grant is also not free in terms of time and requires more diligent study.
I also applied to two other German universities, both much less well-known, and in one they accepted my documents, and in the other they refused. It is difficult to name a specific reason for the refusal because my applications were essentially no different. Therefore, I can only recommend applying for more.
The study was in English. Almost all programs at TUM at the Master’s level are in English. I only had to take the TOEFL. Some students needed to pass some subjects, but they successfully coped with this by arriving a little earlier than the semester begins.
Studying in Germany
First of all, the desire of students to study and pass the exam is very noticeable. It is impossible to pass it off.
As early as 8 am, local students fill the libraries completely and some “latecomers” have to sit and study on the steps and wait for others to finish their studies. It was a shock and an excellent example of the sober perception of the reality that study is not a tick, but real work.
At the same time, the famous story is that in Germany they study for a bachelor’s degree until the age of 30. My explanation is that they study enough to pass the exams one after another because they have the knowledge, but do not study very intensively, and distribute subjects for as long as possible. Some people need to work to support themselves, so they cannot devote all their time to studying.
Exams are extremely difficult, both in essence and in expression, since they require writing working code, diagrams, mathematical proofs, in general, an explicit expression of what knowledge is. Exams are held for the entire course.
Studying at TUM has lots of freedom. Only at your own will and only with your own responsibility. There were practically no compulsory courses in my specialty, and there were ample opportunities to decide which courses to take. No one runs after students — calls or begs them to take the exam. Professors communicate freely and are open to students. You can always approach them with questions. They help a lot themselves or ask their graduate students.
The students are very strong and come from the best universities in their countries. An example that I usually share — at one of the German programming championships, I met a couple of participants. They had a phenomenal speed of thinking and clarity of understanding of tasks. Some of them complete their Ph.D. at the age of 21–22. It’s impressive. There are also exchange students from MIT and Stanford. Friends develop with some students. With such people, you can discuss not only educational and everyday life issues, but also deeper ones, and they have something to say. After studying, some friends disperse, but the contact remains. After all, it is based not on everyday life, but on personality.
As for events and competitions, there are a large number of them. life is very rich and diverse, with a great variety of opportunities to pursue outside of school. Here, the imagination is rarely limited by the impossibility of implementation. Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, and recently Sam Altman came to university events.
During our studies, we had many practical courses, so the “dry” theory became “juicy” in practice and it really needed to be learned in order to pass this next practical course.
Cost of living, apartments, and dorms.
Typical student housing is the so-called WG (Wohngemeinschaft). This is when you rent a room in an apartment with other people. In general, if you rent a room in a good area (they are all good in Munich, but here we mean the coolest) and the corresponding apartment, then it can easily cost 900 € per month. Typically it’s about 700 €. If you are fine with living in student apartments, you can apply and get on a waiting list for student dorms which you can rent for 320 €. This amount includes apartments with their own shower and toilet, as well as all utilities.
A friend lived for about 3 years paying only 280€ per month. He had a shared toilet and several showers for several rooms, as well as a large kitchen.
I rented my first room from an English and physical education teacher. It was very cool to live in her 3-story house because my freedom was not limited to my room. Nevertheless, at some point, I wanted even more freedom, because, for those who have tasted it, it is always lacking.
It took about 150–200 € per month for food. At the very beginning, I was fond of products with the BIO label, but later it was no longer something special and “Fancy” and I began to buy only certain categories of products with this label.
It is clear that the numbers seem very large compared to Belarus, but salaries here allow. Students in Germany can work up to 20 hours a week, and with a salary of 12–15 € per hour, they can easily cover large expenses, including entertainment and leisure with taste (but so far without fat). This is the unique advantage of Germany. In principle, students do not need money from their parents if they work. One can study and earn enough to have a good quality of life. It turns out that they are developing in several directions at once. It helps a lot.
Tech market in Germany/Bavaria. You can find a job with just an English
For the first 7 years of my life in Germany, the tech market showed great growth, and finding a job was quite easy. Knowledge of German was extremely welcome, but without exception, all foreign students whom I knew found work. Over time, another part of the market opens up that requires German, and life gets even better. The university has many cooperation agreements with companies where students go to practice. I have not heard of cases when a TUM graduate had to leave because he did not find a job.
The leading companies that are hiring in Munich with knowledge of English are foreign conglomerates, as well as Tech businesses-for example Google, Huawei, and Amazon. In traditional local large companies, such as BMW, Bosch, Siemens, and Airbus, you can also find work without German in a Tech position, but in small ones, it is already much more difficult because their business is usually tied to local customers. I know several people who came with medical backgrounds, found a job, and felt great, although this required more time than in a Tech position.
At the time of writing, the market is moderately good, but not mad with fat. Many companies are now hiring to replace departed employees and the staff is not inflated. It is quite possible to find a job on the spot in a couple of months. Now, by the way, there are special visas for this.
In general, the visa situation has improved markedly over the past few years. You can get a visa to look for a job or a freelancer. Even the issue of obtaining citizenship is now being discussed and it is planned to change the minimum requirement for living in the country from 6 to 3 years with a sufficient level of integration and a strong knowledge of German.
Life after graduation
At first, I worked in the cloud business of an American company, but then I found something that is even closer to me — working in a financial company but working on technical topics. The business model was to buy other businesses, then transform them, and then sell them. Here I was immediately responsible for IT for several companies in our portfolio. I had complete freedom to implement the IT of these companies, sometimes with several thousand employees. I also led the process of analyzing the IT of all companies, before we bought them. Now I deal with similar topics but for much larger businesses.
My next step is moving to London. I really like this city, it is multifaceted, dynamic, and gathers people with different ideas. I want to join my partner there, and also for the sake of new opportunities. Munich is an extremely comfortable city for living in, but like Minsk, I already know it.
