[vanderZwan]

Sounds very sensible - I strongly believe in the benefits of having a diverse work-environment, and that includes diversity of age.

Out of personal interest (my partner lives in Germany. I'm considering moving there in the long term, and I'm your age), how would you describe the German situation when it comes to diversity in general?

[ff10]

Are you living in the US? That's a very broad question. Let me try to give you my impression in a few words...

I think the diversity situation is not as complex in Germany compared to the coastal areas in the US – if you're talking about ethnicity. Sexual orientation and identity is not as much of a big deal here as well. Not because those questions are frowned upon or considered unimportant, but because those things are looked at with a more relaxed, laissez-faire attitude, at least in the urban areas. It's much less charged with political and religious ideas and action, maybe also because those questions are considered _a bit_ more private as well.

Those are just my 2 cents though, maybe someone else can add his own view, I'd be very interested in that myself.

[hodgesrm]

How is your German? Speaking the language is permission to play in most workplaces unless you are in some sort of ex-pat environment like the US military. Without language skills you are likely to remain an outsider in non-work situations as well.

(This is not a hit on Germany, which is a wonderful place. It's just how things work in the German-speaking parts of Europe.)

[luca_ing]

> How is your German? Speaking the language is permission to play in most workplaces unless you are in some sort of ex-pat environment like the US military.

This is contrary to my personal experience.

English was absolutely the lingua franca.

At my last jobs (I'm a freelancer, so I get around), Germans were clearly the minority. The language environment tended to be very fluid; people joining or leaving a conversation would cause a switch in language, sometimes mid-sentence.

I currently work with 3 Russians, 1 Pakistani, 3 Germans.

> Without language skills you are likely to remain an outsider in non-work situations as well.

If you're thinking of outings with the team, if they are halfway decent they'll take you under their wing.

If you're thinking of day-to-day situations, it'll be harder of course, but absolutely feasible. Many people speak reasonable English.

[hodgesrm]

My experience has been more along the lines of https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12769385. I speak German and most people can't tell I'm a foreigner. It would be a lot less fun otherwise. You're really missing a lot if you only speak English.

To be fair a lot of my interaction has been in areas outside of large cities like Berlin, which are far more cosmopolitan than they used to be.