Is a Master's in Germany Worth It Financially Compared to Continuing a Job in India?
Hi everyone, I’m currently working as a embedded developer in India with around 2 years of experience. I’ve been seriously considering whether to pursue a Master’s in Germany or continue building my career here.
From a purely financial perspective, I’m trying to evaluate:
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Is the return on investment (cost of education + living expenses vs post-MS salary) really worth it?
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How long does it typically take to break even after completing a Master’s in Germany?
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Is the earning potential and career growth abroad significantly higher compared to staying in India and upskilling alongside work?
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Are there hidden costs or opportunity losses that people don’t usually factor in?
Would love to hear from folks who’ve gone down either path especially if you’ve done the math or faced a similar decision
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I am a person who didn't succeed in this pursuit. I went to Germany for masters in embedded systems and then couldn't survive there. I wanted to switch from a non-development role in embedded to a development role. The choice of course everything was perfect but my other preparations (cooking, managing time, mental health) etc were not up to the mark. So within one year I started to suffer from low energy and depression. Food was one of the major reasons. Then I came back to India and got a full time here, thankfully. But it's only my case and there are many who went to Germany from India to that college and they are able to do well. ROI- Germany is good for the work life balance and traveling opportunities it offers. But salary wise it may feel a bit underwhelming(As compared to US) as housing costs are more and savings will likely be a bit less. But after masters it is possible to get a job with good work life balance and scope. My fellow batchmates have got thesis/jobs in good companies. You need to have a lot of patience as well. 2 years is mostly not sufficient for masters. You need 3 years. German - To some extent you need to know. In India my role is still non development/non research, but I am sure if I put the right amount of efforts and networking I will be able to get a better and well suited role for the current situation of AIs. It is hard to say, yaar. May be German masters is better for work life balance and if you wish to switch to a better domain. But if you don't want to take much risk I think you can learn here as well, a bit slow and incrementally. Ultimately we need to focus on if we will be able to get relatively future-proof skills in the AI era. And embedded field is relatively More AI immune, my feeling!
Hi bro I too am considering this as an option but not sure if you get any leads let me know it would be helpful thanks