Starting a New Chapter in Nuremberg

A few weeks ago, I packed my bags and moved to Nuremberg for a new job opportunity. After spending a couple of weeks here, time to look back.

Arriving in Nuremberg

I arrived on a Sunday afternoon after a relatively smooth drive. I checked into the hotel that would become my home for the next four weeks. The location is nice. The city center is within walking distance, and public transportation is easily accessible via Plärrer station just around the corner.

After settling in, we took a walk toward the Pegnitz River, and ended up having surprisingly good vegan döner kebab. We spent some time enjoying the sunshine before E headed back home. I spent the rest of the evening exploring the neighborhood and getting my first impressions of the city.

The First Working Days

My official introduction started the next morning. Since the office was only about thirty minutes away on foot, I decided to walk there and enjoy an extended morning stroll through the city. The onboarding itself was straightforward: a short presentation, some introductory material on a USB stick, and plenty of useful information for later reference.

Afterward, I headed to my actual office location, where I was warmly welcomed by R, my new manager. He showed me around the office and introduced me to the team. As always, remembering everyone’s names would take some time, but my first impression was overwhelmingly positive. The offices were bright and modern.

Not everything went smoothly, however. I quickly discovered that the IT department was not quite ready for my arrival. For several days I had neither a computer nor an email account, meaning I had to rely on colleagues just to log into a workstation each morning. While slightly frustrating, it was also a reminder that even large organizations sometimes struggle with the practicalities of onboarding.

Learning the Ropes

My first project assignment was on a project nearing completion, so my initial tasks focused on small bug tickets and making sure everything ran correctly. The work itself was not especially creative, but understanding the underlying structure proved challenging. It took some time to grasp how the various systems interacted. The project examined the long-term effects of advertising for confectionery brands - interesting from a market research perspective.

Even more intriguing was the next project waiting on the horizon. The team was working on television audience measurement. Unlike Germany, where dedicated audience measurement devices are commonly used, the available data consisted primarily of channel switching patterns, broadcast schedules, and viewing records. The challenge was to estimate who was actually sitting in front of the television. Fascinating and incredibly complex.

Becoming Part of the Team

The first week was far from productive. I spent most of my time learning processes, asking questions, and occasionally feeling completely lost. There were many moments when my instinct was simply to call out for help. Gradually, however, things started to click. By the third week I found myself solving problems independently instead of relying on colleagues for every issue.

This progress came at exactly the right time. R had just begun parental leave, and B, who had become my primary source of guidance, was heading off on vacation. Suddenly, I was expected to take more responsibility.

One project needed to be completed by the end of the week, while the television study was moving forward at the same time. Before leaving, B had assigned me a task involving predictive mean matching analysis. I vaguely remembered the concept from university, but I had never implemented it myself. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn something new, whether I was ready or not.

Despite the steep learning curve, I increasingly felt like I had made the right career move. The work was challenging, the team was welcoming, and every week brought new opportunities to grow.

Discovering the City

My relationship with Nuremberg took a little longer to develop. Coming from Bamberg, I initially found Nuremberg’s post-war city center somewhat disappointing. Large parts of the city had been rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s, giving it a very different atmosphere from the medieval charm I had grown accustomed to.

Over time, however, I began to discover the city’s strengths. Visits with family helped uncover some wonderful places. The more I explored, the more I realized that Nuremberg rewards curiosity.

Finding a Home

Perhaps the biggest milestone was solving the housing question. After viewing several apartments, we ultimately chose one in a neighborhood we jokingly referred to as “Little Russia.” The building itself was a typical large-scale social housing development from the 1960s, but the apartment was surprisingly beautiful. It offered two and a half rooms, a south-facing balcony, and, most importantly, a fantastic view from the ninth floor. Of course, there were compromises. We had to buy the existing kitchen from the previous tenant at a price that seemed difficult to justify. The commute was longer than ideal, and the snack bar downstairs certainly wasn’t a culinary highlight. Still, the apartment had plenty of green space around it, friendly neighbors, and something even more important: it was our first real home together.