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Mercedes-Benz is building a brand new headquarters in Atlanta. The city offers a reasonable cost of living and lots of diversity.
I would also check out employment opportunities at the Atlanta airport. For example I imagine they need gate agents who can make announcements in German for German flights (Delta and Lufthansa)
"A non-German way of life" the German mentality becomes very annoying after somebody used to life for a longer time abroad. Thats something only somebody can understand that used to life in the German and onother culture, just believe me in that point. I dont want to start bashing Germany right now but many former expats from Germany will understand that point.
"cultural diversity" in the US there is a rich cultural diversity compared to Germany i like the Latin American culture and what comes with it a lot more (for different reasons) than that what I have down here in Germany.
Just curious, what is it about German mentality that is annoying to you? Personally, I have lived in three countries so far and cannot imagine ever exchanging Deutschland for Trumpland. But to each his own, I guess. I wish you good luck.
Your English will be up several notches and once you get laid by the multicultural ladies over here you won't look back. Just don't get married. Because then they turn on a dime unlike in Germany where the wives actually want a partnership--here they want to kick back and live off your salary and social standing.
Just a bit of a stereotype I think! And, by the way, aren't all German women buxom and usually seen carrying six beer steins on each arm?
OP, since you won the lottery, did you have ideas of what you want to do and where to do it when you originally applied? Where in the US did you live before? (As an aside, I lived in Tubingen many years ago and loved Germany, it's culture and citizens. I know Germany has gone through many changes in the past few years, so it probably is an entirely different country from when I lived there.)
COL is high in California as a rule unless you live in the Central Valley or upper Northern California. But then jobs are not as plentiful in those areas. Southern California has always been a draw due to the film/entertainment business, while in the SF Bay Area, techies come here in droves for various reasons (who doesn't want to land in a company with stock options, perks and high pay such as the Googles and Apples of the world? Sadly, much of that is hype, and disappointing for those faced with a very high COL, gridlock and lack of housing.)
Research carefully! It is good you have reached out on this forum for advice and others' perspectives.
You got a green card visa and you are all set to go. Lucky bastard you are. Your education is superior to most US citizens your age. 30-33 is a perfect because you are not too young and not too old. You got the German discipline which US workers lack. You have no family or wife to drag along. You got a military background which preps you for possible drudgery without throwing the towel quickly (which Americans tend to do). And unlike the US vets your German military career doesn't make you psychological burden. You will drive better than Americans btw.
You have professional skills many import companies need. So do hotels and airlines. BASF, Siemens, SAP, Bosch, BMW, Bitburger, Lufthansa, etc have a permitted visa quota to hire Germans. You are a rare find for them because they always need more Germans than they are allowed to import.
What you need to lose is being so timid! If you got $10-20k in the bank get on the next plane and come to one of the big cities. Stay in a cheap AirBnB and interview for jobs. Nobody hires you from overseas--Americans don't have any longtime planning. No guarantees for vacation or work contracts. This gives you a lot of freedom when you are good in what you are doing! Forget about the safety thing Germans are so keen about at work. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. Get out of your shell because that's the uptight part of Germany you want to escape, right? That's were Germans who win the green card often fail once they got it. They get scared!!! Live a little. They have Reibekuchen und Milka Schokolade here as well.
Because even when you would not find anything (highly unlikely) you will have 6 months or a year on your C.V. /"Lebenslauf". And this, my friend, is worth it's weight in gold back in old Deutschland. International experience often doubles your salary and is hard to prove from over there what you actually did in the USA ;-)
Your English will be up several notches and once you get laid by the multicultural ladies over here you won't look back. Just don't get married. Because then they turn on a dime unlike in Germany where the wives actually want a partnership--here they want to kick back and live off your salary and social standing.
Next question where do you want to go? I recommend only big cities: New York (intimidating large but a very European mentality; beaches and snow in 3 hour driving distance), San Francisco (computer tech and bio tech mostly, great outdoor life and decent temperatures year round), Miami (hot, humid and hurricanes; much body culture), LA (bat **** crazy and sunny year round), Denver (great outdoors, mixed industries and quite livable); Seattle (mixed industry, tech, rainy and grungy but good for shy people); Chicago (cold in winter, most German/Polish culture you can get, lots of food industries).
Also, mach' dich auf die Socken!
Thank you thats a very nice post, its so much truth in it in so many ways ;-)
Not necessarily, but that would, indeed, require further research. I don't know how long you'd need to be in the U.S. every year in order for your GC to continue being valid, but you should definitely find out.
Just curious, what is it about German mentality that is annoying to you? Personally, I have lived in three countries so far and cannot imagine ever exchanging Deutschland for Trumpland. But to each his own, I guess. I wish you good luck.
Since I came back from the US the difference is just striking: people are : rude, jealous, stubborn, dogmatic, sheep like obedience to authority, some would even denounce their own parents, not inclusive towards foreigners etc.
Not everybody is like that, but just to many
Last edited by PLD102; 09-12-2017 at 02:27 PM..
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