~15 years fullstack and DevOps experience, visited top local university, no degree. Mostly Python + some other languages. Have been interviewing for Lead SE/DevOps/SRE roles as well as some architecture positions.
My findings about the German job market for developers:
- Remote-work is here to stay. Almost all companies are okay with full-remote, those who are not, want ~2 days in the office per week.
- Companies are starting to do leetcode-style interviews. Sometimes some FizzBuzz level to check basic understanding, going up to harder problems unrelated to the position. Unless they are very hard, you will just get used to that.
- Remote or hybrid meetings with multiple participants are horrible for interviewing. The delay makes you come across slow and is very distracting, when you need to look sharp.
- If you want to earn money in Germany, you have to join a bigger company.
- Bigger companies do their development in Java with a minority being MS shops. Python is for data science and DevOps.
- The missing degree is mostly not a problem. Sometimes the CTO's PHD makes it one.
- Landing lead/lower management roles seems to be difficult if you have limited experience leading people. Those seem to be mostly staffed internally.
- The market value for a profile like mine in a big German city seems to be around 100k € including some small bonus.
- There are many offers under that number. I think I would get hired almost instantly if I would accept offers for 80k €.
- All-in all IT does not seem affected by the downturn yet.
While these numbers are not directly comparable to the US (lower cost of living, better social security, health-insurance included and not tied to your job etc.) my subjective feeling is, that I am getting taken advantage of here. Salaries seem to be too low. You are often getting low-balled because "it would not fit within the salaries of the other team members".
For the time being, freelancing is the way to go in Germany, even though you are fighting against regulations.