What jobs are in demand in Germany?

What is a good college degree to achieve when moving from US to Germany?

• I am currently in college majoring in Interior Design and am also hoping at some point after graduating to move to Germany. After looking around, I'm really questioning if being in a place I don't know and trying to establish myself as a designer is really going to happen. What are some college degrees that make getting a job in Germany easier? What are some of the jobs that are in high demand over there? And out of those, which degrees achieved in the US are acknowledged there? Are interior design jobs even more sparse in Germany and do you think it would be too difficult for someone new to the country to establish themself in the field or get a job through a company that does that sort of work?

• Answer:

  Well you will need to be fluent in German to start. Let me explain to you how immigration works. A company cannot hire you unless they cannot find any citizens to do the job, so it makes it very difficult for non-Germans to work in Germany. Also, you cannot just show up. You can go for a little while with your passport, but you will have to return to America to apply for your work VISA if you do find a job, you have to apply and pick it up in person, and you can only be granted a VISA by your home country. Germany is much smaller than the US, and has a large unskilled labor population. There is no field that is in high enough demand to being in people on any sizable scale, the non-citizens who enter the skilled workforce are exceptional. The unskilled labor are simply there because you can pay them less than you pay citizens. The point is, you cannot just go over and establish yourself, you need to find a job from home (go over for interviews) then get your VISA and go. Interior design is a large field, but the bulk of them in America are not really existence in America as far as the personal styling in residences. Things like academia and engineering can bring in skilled labor, not interior design. Some college degrees? So are you planning on going to school once you are finished? Nothing in your field can really help you. If you are fluent in German and are ready for the challenge you should look to corporate design houses (like Ethan Allen in the US), and see if you can get on there. Especially if it is a US store's franchise you may have an easier time getting in.