The story is useful. It is not a universal rule.
I am Brook Duressa. I came from Ethiopia to Germany for a Master’s after studying mechanical engineering, then rebuilt my direction toward cybersecurity and IT security.
Brook Lives began as a record of that movement: the practical cost, the career uncertainty, the loneliness, the work, and the strange speed with which a long-awaited achievement becomes normal life.
My experience gives me a useful angle. It does not make me an authority on every degree, country, visa, or career. The point of this project is to combine lived experience with clear reasoning—and to say “I do not know” when the evidence stops.
01Scope
- What I can speak to
- Moving from Ethiopia to Germany, international study, engineering and technology paths, career rebuilding, early cybersecurity work, and the lived trade-offs behind the public facts.
- What I will not pretend to be
- An immigration lawyer, admissions officer, recruiter for every field, financial adviser, therapist, or representative of Germany.
- Why the Reality Check exists
- The same public fact can lead to opposite decisions for two people. The tool is designed to expose the assumptions between the fact and the decision.
The written version is here. The rest of it is on the channel.