A message in the video comes from someone working an eight-to-four job, feeling passive afterwards and finding the income insufficient. They are getting driving qualifications and considering Germany as a professional driver. Will that change their life? Could it be the solution?

Those are two different questions. A move can change work, language, responsibility and relationships. Whether it solves the problem depends on which problem we mean.

Separate the three questions

If the issue is money, compare actual take-home income and actual costs. If it is isolation or dissatisfaction, a higher wage does not answer the whole question. If it is a wish for experience and independence, the move may have value even when the financial difference is modest.

In the video I speak forcefully about loneliness and discrimination abroad. Those are possibilities people should take seriously, not experiences that every migrant is guaranteed to have. Neither success nor rejection can be predicted from the destination alone.

Which problem needs an answer?. Money: Compare net income and full costs.. Belonging: Consider relationships and daily life.. Growth: Name the experience or skill you want.
A decision framework, not a score for either country.

A higher salary can leave a smaller difference than expected

Consider two invented monthly budgets, used only to show the calculation. They are not salary estimates for Kosovo or Germany, and they are not the follower’s finances.

Monthly amountCurrent situationPossible move
Take-home income€900€2,200
Total regular costs€650€1,850
Remaining cash€250€350

The income difference is €1,300, but the difference in remaining cash is €100 per month: (2,200 − 1,850) − (900 − 650). If additional one-off moving costs were €2,000, accumulating an extra €100 each month would take 20 months to equal that expense, assuming both budgets stayed unchanged.

Compare what remains. Current scenario: €250 / month; Move scenario: €350 / month
Invented budgets: net income minus regular costs, not market estimates.

That is a simple comparison, not a recommendation to move or stay. Replace the inputs with a written job offer, an individual net-pay estimate, housing quotes and your own obligations. Include utilities, food, transport, insurance where applicable, family support, debt and travel home. Separate refundable deposits from permanent expenses while still accounting for the cash they tie up.

The example ignores pay changes, inflation, unexpected costs and the non-financial value of the move. It illustrates why the salary number alone is not the decision.

For professional driving, check the route as well as the offer

Germany’s official Make it in Germany portal describes a route for professional drivers from non-EU countries involving Federal Employment Agency approval and the necessary licence and qualifications. It also describes conditional arrangements for completing qualifications after entry.

A licence category alone should not be treated as confirmation that every requirement is met. Check the specific contract, qualification route and visa requirements with the employer and responsible authorities before relying on an offer.

What happens after work matters—but rest counts too

The other part of my video asks what we do after the working day. There may be something worth changing before or alongside moving: language study, a practical skill, a small project or meeting people.

That question needs to respect reality. Shift work, caring responsibilities and exhaustion constrain time. Rest is not evidence of a defective character. Choose a manageable action rather than inventing an ideal evening you cannot sustain.

A useful next step is to write one sentence for the problem, one piece of evidence you need and one action you can take this week. If your question is the opposite—whether to come home—read returning to Kosovo with a business plan.

Sources and calculation notes