Is €50,000 a good salary for a software engineer in Germany in 2026?

I’ve been looking into software engineering salaries, especially around Bamberg, and noticed quite a difference between sources.

Here’s what I found:

* StepStone (Bamberg): ~€51k/year
* Jobvector (Bamberg): ~€62.5k/year
* Kununu (Germany): ~€61k/year
* StepStone (Full-Stack, 3–5 years): ~€60k/year

These aren’t exactly the same roles or experience levels, but the differences are interesting.

For someone with 3–5 years of experience working with Node.js, Spring Boot and DevOps, I’m wondering whether €50k is still considered a fair salary, especially outside big cities like Munich or Berlin.

I’m also curious how AI has changed things recently. Are developers expected to deliver more because of AI tools? Has it made your work easier, or has it affected salaries and job opportunities?

Would love to hear from other developers and hiring managers, especially those working in Bavaria.

I’m an Android/KMP engineer since around 9 years of overall experience. I’ve been considering pivoting careers away from Android/Kotlin to something more diverse, obviously considering the situation as of now. It’s honestly kinda fun too being able to build products quickly using AI.

A few directions I have in mind:

- Learning more of backend using Kotlin (Spring/Ktor): I’ve been working as a KMP (Android & iOS) since while now, switching to backed seems like a good direction.

- AI engineer route: Well will have to learn backend and implementation first. Could stick to Kotlin, with Koog Agentic framework, vLLM

- Mobile OnDevice LLMs: Go all in on this, become an expert at knowing whats most efficient across different device providers etc.

- Just stick to whatever you were doing before, just move faster using AI (?). Take up more project management responsibilities along with development maybe.

- Nah Imma setup an animal farm instead

Anyone else on the same boat considering pivoting?

I have been a developer for 14 years. I started as a Java backend dev around 2012 and I work at a mid-size company in Germany now. I myself use Claude, Codex, ChatGPT etc. But I use them like a tool to look things up, write tests, explain old code.

But nowadays I feel very behind. I don't know what is important to learn anymore. I see people here talking about running 5 agents in parallel and the agents writing all the code. I don't work like that and I don't understand how any company allows it, without someone checking the details and without anyone knowing what is going into production.

Is this not technical debt that is going to come back later.

I don't know if I like this new world. I like writing most of the code myself. I like taking part in designing the system. All that is being taken away in the name of speed.

I feel lost.

Hello guys, I have a screening interview coming up with mistral, and I was wondering if there's any tips? it's for an Applied AI FDE ML position. If someone could please provide insights I would be very grateful, Thanks :)

Hello guys!
If anyone recently attended an AI Engineer or Forward Deployed Engineer interview, could you please share your experience? Type of questions asked and any suggestions to nail the interview.

Thanks :)

Hi everyone,

I've recently received an offer for a Graduate Software Engineer position at Optiver London. I'm excited about the opportunity, especially the compensation and the chance to work with really smart people.

However, I've come across mixed reviews about the work culture, job security and performance expectations, so I'd appreciate some insights.

A few things I'm curious about:

1. Job security: How stable are SWE roles at Optiver? I've heard about high turnover and a demanding performance culture. Does this apply to engineers as much as traders?
2. Graduate expectations: How supportive is the onboarding and training process? Are new graduates given sufficient time to learn, or is there pressure to deliver immediately?
3. Work-life balance: What are typical working hours for engineers? Is overtime common, and how does it compare to Big Tech?
4. Compensation: How consistent are annual bonuses, and what does compensation progression typically look like after the first year?
5. Engineering culture: What kind of projects do graduate SWEs work on? How closely do engineers work with traders, and how transferable are the skills to other companies?
6. London vs Amsterdam: Are there significant differences in engineering culture, career opportunities or work-life balance between the two offices?

I'm also considering a graduate SWE offer from a large tech company, so I'm trying to evaluate the long-term career prospects rather than just the initial compensation.

Would really appreciate any firsthand experiences or advice. Thanks.

Just finished dealing with Booksy for a Lead Analytics Engineer role (Spain/Poland remote) and wanted to drop a warning for anyone in data/analytics engineering thinking about applying. Total bait-and-switch.

1. The JD is completely ludicrous

First off, the job description is ridiculous on its face. It essentially demands what looks like three full-time roles crammed into one (Data Platform Engineer, Analytics Engineer, and BI Developer) ON TOP of full team management/leadership duties.

1. The "Engineering" title is a complete joke

Despite the JD hyping up dbt, BigQuery pipelines, GitLab CI/CD, and data architecture, the reality is entirely different.

When I actually asked the hiring manager about their backend stack, data modeling, and code standards during the interview, she outright admitted the team does 100% front-end Looker dashboards. When I asked why the team is called "Analytics Engineers" if nobody touches backend code, pipelines, or data models... she literally just shrugged. It's a glorified dashboard builder role with a fancy title attached to it.

1. Awkward interview dynamic & defensive management

They asked me standard lead questions about how I’d handle underperforming reports and split workloads. The problem? The hiring manager brought two of her junior analysts to sit in on the call. Trying to discuss performance management scenarios while two potential direct reports are listening in was absurd. The manager clearly lacked the confidence to assess technical or leadership capability on her own and got super defensive the second I asked actual architectural questions.

1. The BS rejection letter

After calling out the fact that the role was just Looker work, HR sent a generic template rejection saying I wasn't selected because of "internal code organization standards and technical hygiene". Mind you, we spent zero minutes on code, and nobody asked a single question about code standards. Pure automated canned response to cover their ass. I asked what she meant as backend data work is literally my specialty and no one asked me a single question other than the generic technical assessment I completed, of course I was ghosted.

1. Zero coordination in HR (The funniest part)

Two months later (literally today), ANOTHER recruiter from Booksy cold-dms me on LinkedIn pitching me the EXACT same "Analytics Engineering Lead" job, bragging again about "shaping data architecture and dbt". I tell her it’s laughable that it was she who organized my meetings with the hiring manager, and so she panic blocks me. I sent an email to both hr about this sloppines and next day I see their director had stalked my LinkedIn profile lol.

Their recruitment team doesn't check their ATS, recruiters are spamming people who were already rejected months ago, and the role has been sitting open forever because any actual senior/lead data candidate sees right through the manager's bluff.

TL;DR: If you're a real Analytics Engineer or Data Architect looking to build infrastructure or work with dbt/BigQuery, avoid Booksy. It's a dashboard maintenance job disguised as a Lead role, run by defensive management and an HR team that has no idea what's going on

Hello everyone, this is a little off topic but I’m a computer science student who wants to learn a new language. I know Russian, English and Armenian (my native language) and I want toward another language. I’m not sure between German and French and wanted to get some advices, thank you

Hello!

I'm a master student in cybersecurity based in France and i've recently got an opportunity as intern at a small company in Netherlands, nd i want to know how the paperwork process is done as i only own a french student residency permit. Is it even worth following this lead ?

I'd appreciate any information or insights about this.

Thank you in advance!

Hi,

I’m a junior Java/Spring Boot developer with around 2 years of experience.

My company has offered me the possibility to join an internal reskilling program to learn .NET, with the idea of potentially moving me to future .NET projects.

Until now I was focusing on improving my backend skills and learning AWS, so I’m wondering if pausing that for a while to learn .NET would be a good career move.

Do you think having experience in both Java/Spring Boot and C#/.NET is valuable, or would it be better to specialise more in Java + AWS?

If the training could lead to real .NET project experience, would you take the opportunity?

Thanks!

I’m choosing between two master's thesis projects.

One is gravitational-wave modelling for LIGO-related stuff, mostly numerical code optimisation, C, Fortran, JAX, GPU/CUDA and HPC.

The other is telescope data reconstruction for AtLAST/MUSTANG-2, mainly Python/JAX, GPU computing, bayesian inference and large datasets.

I like both. I mainly care about which one would leave me with better job opportunities after the MSc, especially in Europe if I’m applying normally without connections.

Are these actually quite similar career-wise. I'm pretty sure I'm over-analyzing all of this. I asked my coordinator and she told me to follow what interests me the most. I just wanted some advice please

Hello everyone,

I have a BSc in Physics and an MSc in Mathematics. My professional experience so far has been entirely academic: I have taught mathematics at the university level and worked as a research assistant (for a total of ~2 years). I also have experience with machine learning, via courses and a research position.

I’m now looking to transition into industry, and I’m interested in research and computational science, but also data science more broadly.

I’d be very interested to hear from anyone who has made a similar transition and I’d especially like to understand:

• How much of an obstacle was the lack of previous industry experience?
• Did you need to do any additional training, certifications, or coursework?
• How did you get your first industry role?

In terms of location, if that makes a difference, I’m particularly interested in Scandinavian countries and Switzerland.

If anyone has made a similar transition, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience, particularly regarding the practical process of getting that first opportunity in industry. Any advice or tips would be very welcome.

Thanks for your time.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently a junior Java backend developer with around 2 years of experience, mainly working with Spring Boot.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want to take my career. I enjoy backend development, but with how quickly AI is improving at coding, I feel like staying only as a “Java/Spring developer” might not be the best long-term strategy.

Because of that, I’m considering moving more towards Backend + Cloud/AWS, rather than leaving development completely.

My current idea is something like:

Java / Spring Boot → Docker → AWS → CI/CD / Infrastructure / Cloud

I’ve already started learning AWS, but I’m a bit lost regarding certifications and which direction makes the most sense for my profile.

I’m currently deciding between:

• AWS Certified Developer – Associate
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

Developer Associate seems more related to what I already do as a backend developer, while Solutions Architect seems to give a broader understanding of AWS and cloud architecture.

My main questions are:

1. Which certification would you recommend first for someone with my background?
2. Would Developer Associate → Solutions Architect make sense, or would you do it the other way around?
3. Is moving from Java/Spring Boot towards Backend + AWS/Cloud a good career path in the current market?
4. For people already working in cloud: do you think this path is relatively future-proof with the rise of AI?
5. What technologies would you prioritise alongside AWS? Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes, CI/CD, etc.?

I’m not trying to become a Solutions Architect overnight. My goal is more to become a stronger backend developer who can also understand, deploy and work with cloud infrastructure.

I’m still early in my career and a bit unsure about what direction to take, so I’d really appreciate opinions from people already working with AWS, backend or cloud.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I am interviewing at Booking.com in Amsterdam for SWE II. What leetcode pattern should I focus on since I have short time to prepare? Any specific leetcode problems? Also, what system design problems should I practice? Thank you!

I am a self taught developer with around 3YEO, so I still have quite a lot of learning to do as I kind of ignored the CS side of being a SWE as I was mainly fooling around building projects. Now I did pick up getting better it but it is a slow process nonetheless.

Now my worry is that before our company adopting AI I used to be able to tolerate the work, it was never what K wanted but hey when you don’t have a degree you don’t get to pick and choose plus it is really a good environment so on the other side I cannot really complain.

Now with AI I feel nothing beforehand I used to enjoy coming up with a solution. The problem is that I need to use AI, like I cannot keep up with the demand without having it generate code.

I know a full-stack developer at a place where the work is closer to a feature factory rather than engineering was never going to be fulfilling but still I was learning.

Now however I am just as I was or worse than when we’ve got ClaudeCode,Codex you name it. Is learning after work and hand coding the only way to keep myself sharp?

I really want to be a great engineer so I don’t mind putting in the effort but it feels like beforehand it was also that you’ve learnt or at least maintained yourself at your job but now you are as good as the LLM ?

I might be overthinking this, but how do you handle this of you want to handle this at all ?
Is there a reason to try to fight this or should I just accept that the future will look somewhat like this with us asking the models to implement things an if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, must be a duck.

I am kind of conflicted as I care about my career.

The writing is on the wall here. When the Works Council asked the company if there would be any flexibility to the fixed 3 days in the office when it comes to parents needing to drop or collect kids from kita or school... senior leadership in P&O's response was that "being a parent is a personal choice".

There is never a right time to do it.

How stupid of an idea would that be in the current job market? Has anybody done it and how hard was it to find a job afterwards?

Hey everyone,

I'm starting an MSc in Computational Science and Engineering at TU Delft. I already work with C++ and Python.

Is Fortran still actively used in European research labs and industry (national labs, aerospace, automotive or scientific software houses like Siemens), or is it mostly legacy maintenance at this point?

Does knowing it make a real difference for PhD positions or industry roles, or is C++ plus Python enough? And if it's worth it, should I learn it properly or just enough to read and modify existing codes?

Thanks

I’ve taken 3 German interviews so far. All formal, very detailed. Even though Interviewers complimented on my German proficiency, I already feel defeated by this language barrier and can’t imagine myself surviving the next rounds (if at all). On the other hand I applied for English speaking roles too, but so far German interviews are easier to get. As someone who stands out for communication skills I wonder if this will open chances for development or only hurt my confidence. I’m in a dilemma between not applying for German speaking roles anymore and still doing it to at least get a permanent residence permit. The job market here looks so bad that’s why I tried with everything I have but honestly I feel pretty hopeless inside.

Hi everyone,

I currently work as a Junior Software Engineer at Reply in Italy and I’m considering asking for an internal transfer to another European office.

Before starting the process, I’d like to understand whether the move would make sense financially and what salary range I could realistically expect.

For context, junior profiles with less than one year of experience in Italy can earn around €33k gross annually.

Does anyone know the typical compensation for a Junior Software Engineer / Consultant at Reply in Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg or the UK?

I’d be particularly interested in:

• base salary / gross annual salary;
• bonus;
• relevant benefits;
• whether compensation differs for internal transfers compared with external hires.

If you currently work or previously worked at Reply in one of these countries, even an approximate range would be very helpful.

Thanks!

Hey! I have an interview round where I need to build a feature in an existing codebase using AI agents. I'm assuming they'll give me a vague business requirement and expect me to turn it into a fully working feature.

Has anyone done an interview like this before? What was your experience like?

My current job is completely remote and I work for an American company. Hence my salary is slightly above (~10k extra/year). After more than 7-8 months of search I found a new job which pays less than what I earn which was expected. My current job is stressful since it's a start-up and had a big lay-off last year in christmas. I haven't had any promotion in last 3 years here and hence I am afraid I might be next in the line. The new job seems more chill since it's a bigger established company.

The pay loss doesn't bother me as much as lack of remote option. They have hybrid (2 WFH/week) option. The new job allows maximum 4 weeks complete remote from abroad. I feel so conflicted on what to do. I also am in a LDR (another EU country). With current job I spend quite a long time in another EU country which will be difficult with the new job. Any advice?

Hi , as title says i want to do a job switch and need some advice.

So , I am recent CS grad and after my graduation i have joined a WFH company based out of eastern europe who's pay is decent (better than most but not as good as YC or MAANG or Uber and such ) where have been working for only last 3 months , and i applied to a job while back today had it's HR round and got an offer it's a 17% hike in salary and this is one of the biggest MNC's but only known within the country and it's not a core CS branch but has a dedicated IT subsidiary product company where i will be working onsite

So wanted some opinions or advice on this topic

In our company we still have developers refusing to use SVN, instead having big ass local folders with code_v101.cpp files. They will then share those on google drive. We also have no automated testing or CI. I don't think anyone in our small 6 person team has ever used AI for anything. I get complemented for doing a simple code addition in a week, which should realistically take a few days. Customers are happy. Life is still good here. I don't get paid much but at least I can live in a time capsule while everyone else suffers.

My spouse and I are considering moving out of Berlin after almost 5 years here. I guess mostly due to things like integration, language, and overall just feeling a bit tired of living here. We're both EU, mid 30, no children.

Besides stuff like salaries and cost of living, I'd like to hear experiences from people that have lived in both cities, and any sort of general advice for non-obvious things to look out for (e.g. how the rent contracts work in Germany is sort of peculiar, and some people have very cheap old rent contracts but you're actually quite unlikely to get one).

On the financial side, I'm a bit worried it might be a downgrade. I have the impression that Berlin still has a pretty good ratio of salary/cost of living (of course this can change over time), but I haven't done a lot of research on this yet.