I wanted to live in the US, then had a game-changing visit to Europe. Here's why I chose Germany.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ishansh Gupta, 29, who lives in Munich. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Growing up in India, I knew I wanted to live in the US one day. I had relatives who'd moved there, and the way Bollywood movies portrayed the American dream resonated with me. I was interested in technology, and some of the biggest opportunities were there.

While completing my bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering in India, I applied for internships around the world to increase my chances of getting accepted by a US university for a master's degree.

I interned in Poland for two six-week stints in 2017 and 2018. After spending time in Europe, instead of applying to US colleges, I went to university in Germany and now work at BMW. I got a taste of life in America in 2022, when I did an assignment in South Carolina. I left feeling glad that I built my life in Germany and didn't pay for an expensive US education.

Learning that international students could get free tuition in Germany was game-changing

During a trip to Berlin, I met a group of Indian people in a restaurant, who told me it was possible for international students to get free tuition at public universities in Germany. It was a game-changing moment for me. Even attending a private university in Germany felt more affordable than studying in the US, where I expected to pay around $100,000 for a master's degree, including tuition and living costs.

While interning in Poland and visiting Germany, I had a really positive experience with European people and culture, and I was excited to explore different European countries. I was also impressed by Germany's manufacturing and engineering strengths, and the level of technical knowledge people had.

In 2019, I started a master's degree in data engineering at a private institution in Germany. A partial scholarship meant tuition cost me 8,000 euros ($9,000) instead of 20,000 euros. I learned very basic German in India, but it was a very international, English-speaking university, so I didn't really struggle with a language barrier.

In my last semester, I completed a six-month internship at BMW, and was accepted onto a three-year PhD program there. In 2023, I got a full-time job as a digitalization specialist at BMW, and in 2026, I moved into a HR role leading AI initiatives for senior executives.

I'm still learning German, partly because I'm big on networking and want to understand inside jokes when connecting with people. I do have some meetings in German, and I'm able to understand a lot of the context, but if I don't understand something, people are always happy to explain in English.

I worked for BMW in the US for a few months, and noticed some differences with Germany

In my experience and that of friends in Germany, there is a strong culture of work-life balance in Germany.