German Complains

In Germany we love to complain. When the sun shines, it’s too hot, and when it’s raining, it’s too wet. Either our neighbors are too impolite, due to the fact that they don’t speak with us, or they are too annoying, due to the fact that they’re speaking with us. We like to see the bad in everything, and to prevent the bad things which may occur, we put the maximum amount of work in everything we do. Currently we have a problem with the demographic change. As a result, we fear the lack of employees in the area of engineering, and also on the healthcare market there are few jobholders. But do we only fear it or is it already reality? Following the media, it seems to be reality, but when we ask people studying engineering, you’ll find them facing difficulties in finding a job. Even after sending 40 applications, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get an invitation for a job interview. Is this already the result of promoting the lack of employers? That we have too much engineers? Another point of view criticizes the companies. On one hand, small companies don’t increase their reputation by the students and, in general, they miss to approach the future engineers as soon as possible to gain them as potential jobholders, and adapt them to their working environment. Nowadays, it’s very important to specialize, but how shall students know in which area is it better to gain further knowledge when the future employers don’t approach them? On the other hand, the argument rose that the companies are too picky. Of course they want the best employees, but some of them want to choose out of a basket full of applications instead of having only three applicants. So the question arises whether it’s really the demographic change’s fault that we’re lacking employees, or whether the companies themselves raised the barriers.

But not only academic occupations suffer this lack; especially in educational occupations we notice the results of this lack. Apparently education has lost its good reputation. Nowadays, everyone who has the possibility of doing so will go to university for studying. But this is no surprise in facing the fact that the payment increases for graduates, and facing the working hours in some educational occupations.

To come back to the academia, we can observe an unfavorable development in the areas of the healthcare market. The amount of doctors decreases and some people may ask for the reasons why this occurs. Apparently there are a lot of young people interested in studying medicine, but the barriers at university are too high to overcome. Even for people who are willing to put the maximum of effort in their attempts to get a place for studying. To be allowed to study it the entry barrier of the grades lies within “one” at some universities. In addition, achieving the best grade in the German educational system is not enough. Students have to pass a kind of test, where they get questions concerning general knowledge and medical knowledge. So is it fair to have such entry barriers for a German university facing the lack of medical labors? Our native students are forced to study abroad where it’s a bit easier achieving a place at university, and in Germany we get our medical labors from abroad. Due to the fact that they’re not as qualified as our own doctors, they get less paid of course. And I ask myself whether we’ll ever escape the idea of this market-based view. Would it be better without it? In every case it seems to be that a change of mindset is needed. We should firstly take care of the people and try to be less selfish. In the end, I think what my country needs to learn is to see alternatives in times of struggle and stop complaining. It should work on the improvement instead of getting stuck in its worries.

By: Maren Muth

Photography: Mahmoud Mansi

EDITOR: Nada Zeyada