Hey Reddit,
I’m 20 and live in Germany for 3years. I had a clear plan from June 2024 to June 2025:

Get a full-time job

Pay off my Führerschein

Buy a car

Apply for a technical Ausbildung (Kfz, Mechatronik, etc.)

Prepare for the university Aufnahmeprüfung

I gave it everything I had. I worked part-time at Kaufland for 3 months. Then they fired me, saying they had "too many workers," but they hired new people right after. I applied everywhere: stores, fast food chains, warehouses, even Zeitarbeit. No one hired me. I even went in person to talk to managers, recruiters, and store owners. My German isn’t bad, but not as good as a native. Still, nothing. I have a Migrationshintergrund and I’m starting to wonder if that’s the reason people won’t even give me a shot.

I tried to go back to my old job at Burger King, but they’re closing in 2 months. Every Ausbildung I applied to in technical fields rejected me instantly.

Meanwhile, I spent my last three paychecks on my Führerschein. I was close to being done, but during the Sonderfahrt my instructor said I didn’t drive well and now we need to repeat a lot in normal lessons. I can’t afford it anymore. I told her I need to take a break.

Now I can’t even afford my phone bill or Deutschlandticket. I sold my bike just to survive a bit longer, the bike I used to commute to work.

At this point, my only hope is the Aufnahmeprüfung for university, and this is going to be my third attempt. I’m trying to study and stay focused, but honestly, I’m burnt out. I don’t know what else I can do.

If I didn’t live with my parents, I don’t even want to imagine where I’d be. I don’t feel lazy or unmotivated, just completely stuck and helpless. I tried everything.
lebenslauf:https://imgur.com/a/iYl4WRE

by Significant_Tax_6876

4 comments

  1. Are you from EU? What is your highest achievement from school? You are putting lots of pressure on yourself : Maybe consider doing an year of voluntary service. [https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/bildung/zwischenzeit/freiwilligendienst-leisten](https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/bildung/zwischenzeit/freiwilligendienst-leisten) This year can give you the opportunity to improve German. Its in childcare or with old people and your get a minimal contribution. People do it for the experience not for the money. What are you aiming to study?

  2. have you gotten your Algerian baccalaureate recognized? that might be why the Ausbildung is rejecting you, people probably can’t tell what you actually have as a schulabschluss.

  3. Maybe your application documents are trash? I understand that you don’t want to doxx yourself but maybe send a version with your name and address blacked out.

  4. Well that was a very optimistic (and frankly unrealistic) plan to earn/ save up so much money in a year with an unskilled job, so don’t beat yourself up that it didn’t work out.

    Don’t burn yourself out by damanding too much from yourself. Make a more realistic plan with smaller steps and fewer goals. At the moment, it seems preparing for your entrance exam is the most important thing. As you live with your parents, your livelyhood isn’t really in danger. Can’t you ask them to support you a bit financially when it comes to transportation costs?

    As for your driver’s license, did you already do the theory exam? Then you have a year after that to do the practical test. If you haven’t done the theory yet, you have even more time before your lessons don’t count anymore. Take a break and focus on your uni application, then you can continue to look for a job and if you found one, you can take up lessons again.

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