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Pharma and mechanical engineering companies need IT people, too, even if their core business is not IT.

Sure, but there is a huge difference in pay, career prospects and respect between being the IT guy at a non tech company and being the IT guy at a company who's main focus is tech.

That's the problem Germany has, it's full of successful companies that aren't IT related so people who want good jobs in IT are forced to either leave to SV/CH/London or stay and be "the IT guy" at a non tech company where you get treated as a cost center.

Funny, I know a lot of people that work in software development in Germany, and most of them seem to be quite happy. They don't make SV style salaries of course but are well paid. And let's not forget about the difference in cost of living and work-life balance in Germany as compared to the US (or London), especially for people that have a family.

Of course if you think that only SV-style software companies are worth working for then Germany isn't the place to be.

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