The Search for the Right Sky

As a science graduate, I am always impressed by the beauty of nature. This appreciation for order and structure has defined not just my worldview, but also my career.

The Architect of the Box

I have never been someone who simply takes the shape of the box I am in. Instead, I am the person who gives that box its form. Had I been the type to settle for the shape of the box I was placed in, I could have easily chosen the path of a civil servant, working a standard 9 to 5 and embracing a predictable, routine life. But such a choice would have been fundamentally at odds with my potential. I was not built for a predetermined mold; I was built to create one.

To me, this is not just a choice; it is a necessity. The boxes we are often handed in life and career are inherently warped, disorganized, and lacking a clear vision. In such an environment, acting upon the conviction that everything must have its own structure and order becomes inevitable. I do not just inhabit a space; I define it.

Ten Years, One Dream, and a Migration

This restless energy, this constant “let’s do this, let’s build that” attitude has fueled my journey for over ten years in the software industry. Ever since the day I graduated, I have been running toward a specific vision: to take everything I wanted from the sector by the age of 40, and then slowly retreat into the background to mentor the next generation. I wanted to be the guide I wished I had.

I worked hard. I changed roles. I pushed boundaries. And finally, when I felt I could not breathe in my current environment, I moved to Germany. I came here with the hope that a new horizon would offer the clarity I was seeking.

Failure Within Success

However, the reality of migration brought a bitter realization: the landscape was not that different. The struggles were just wearing different clothes. It was then that I met a peculiar feeling: success within failure. On paper, I have the career, the experience, and the move that many dream of. But internally, the spark felt contained. No matter how much I achieved, I could not find a firmament that allowed my light to reach its full potential.

There is a sentence I have been repeating to myself since I was fifteen years old. It has become my mantra, my North Star, and sometimes, my burden: “I must find a suitable sky to shine in.”

The Weight of Self-Actualization

I am well aware that many would look at my life and wish to be in my shoes. However, what I am feeling is not mere dissatisfaction or a lack of gratitude; it is the profound weight of unfulfilled self-actualization. Without measuring myself against others, and staying true to the path I know to be right, I have covered immense distances. I’ve worked day and night across diverse sectors, including telecommunications, marketing, DevOps, and media.

Bringing software products to life that truly stand out and make a difference in both local and international markets is no small feat. It takes more than just skill; it takes a certain kind of resilience, a warrior’s spirit. Yet, there is a certain pain in starting over every single time. I have realized how much I’ve exhausted myself by constantly telling myself “this time, even further, even higher,” whatever that hierarchy might even mean. My goal is not to blame anyone. It seems this is my fate, and I must learn to accept it.

The Northern Individualism

Truth be told, I do not have the energy to move to yet another country right now. People always say that when you get tired, you should learn to rest instead of quitting. I have not been able to master that skill either. However, over time, I have come to accept the individualistic lifestyle of Germany. It is not easy to step out of the vibrant social life of a warm Mediterranean country and adapt to the cultural shifts of a Northern society where individualism prevails.

Had I been able to find a suitable sky to shine in, I could have made a far greater impact on human life and succeeded in bringing new inventions to light. Instead, the reality remains that such potential is constantly preoccupied with trivialities alongside the rest of the world. I am not the only one in this position; there are likely many others like me. On the other hand, there is a certain group who are nothing like us but whose luck allows them to take whatever they desire. Despite my intelligence, I have never been able to fully solve this puzzle. Whenever I felt close to figuring it out, several variables would change at once, and I would find myself facing different results every time.

Talking to a Wall

If I used to ask myself whether I was losing my mind once a year in Turkey, that frequency has increased fivefold in Germany. At times, it feels as though I am talking to a wall. Regardless of how simple I keep my language, I always sense a certain friction in communication. I eventually discovered the reason for this in Erin Meyer’s book, The Culture Map. People from diverse geographies bring inherently different lifestyles and working methods, which inevitably creates these hurdles. Conversely, this diversity forms a rich pool of problem-solving potential. Yet, it still comes with the hardship of repeating the same point ten times and waiting an entire year in the hope that someone will finally understand. It might be my problem. So I’m reading books on what makes conversation better.

I strive to keep my own world simple. I never let a decision linger for a year; if the time is right, I act. As a matter of principle, whenever I start a new position, I write and sign both my entry petition and my resignation letter, keeping them ready in my drawer. I never place anything above my own power or what I am capable of achieving. I am not one to mince words, either. Many have heard me say, “if you know so much, then do it yourself.”

Entropy and the 400 HP Engine

When my financial advisor in Germany told me I must take out disability insurance, I initially refused. I never thought anything could reach a point where it could affect my mental health. However, he insisted by mentioning that the statistics were around 47 percent. I eventually agreed.

Setting that topic aside, I have started to experience issues with productivity and focus. Nearly seven out of ten things I want to achieve do not go according to plan. Shaping these situations into successful outcomes takes so long due to the slow processes of change that I simply cannot put a perfect team on the field. As a result, you find yourself driving a 400 horsepower car at 50 kilometers per hour on the Autobahn. Standing against entropy requires an incredibly immense amount of strength.

We have an idiom in Turkish that refers to understanding the point before the word is even fully spoken. You do not have to explain everything in detail to those people. In Germany, things simply do not work that way. I am not even sure if I would be exaggerating if I said it is the exact opposite.

The Macroeconomic Shift: AI and the 4-Day Week

Then I discovered that shifting to part-time work is a viable option in Germany. In Turkey, such alternatives are almost non-existent in our sector. The prospect of reducing my week to four days caught my interest, and I uncovered some fascinating perspectives.

Looking at this through a macroeconomic lens, and considering the impact of artificial intelligence and automation, I cannot foresee a future that requires us to work with such frantic intensity. Within the next few years, AI will either transform workplaces entirely or significantly diminish the need for human labor. Human roles will shift toward moderating AI-driven scenarios before eventually handing them over to full automation.

Companies will no longer need staff working 40 hours a week. However, mass layoffs would destabilize the very fabric of our social dynamics. The current economic order is built on the foundation that people must work to earn money to keep the economy moving. If people are removed from this equation, the economy collapses.

Microeconomics and the Tax Absurdity

Across the globe, we are facing retirement systems that have already collapsed. Regardless of how much you contribute, your quality of life is destined to plummet the moment you retire. To prevent this, you are left with no choice but to turn to private pensions and investment vehicles. This serves as further proof of how unnecessary it is to work five days a week.

Another piece of evidence lies in the taxation structure. In a first-class nation like Germany, which actively seeks skilled personnel, there is a fundamental absurdity. Once these professionals arrive, the system taxes them at an even higher rate because they are highly skilled. This reality once again demonstrates that working five days is redundant. If a workday consists of eight hours, you are effectively spending four of those hours working just to pay your taxes.

Conclusion: A New Path

In light of all these insights, I have decided to switch to a four-day work week. Even though this choice means a 20 percent drop in income, I believe it is a conclusion we will all encounter sooner or later. Within the next year or two, I suspect companies will start bringing these offers to their employees as a strategy to reduce costs.

If this transition is not approached systematically, it could lead to a severe economic depression. More alarmingly, if this process is not managed well on a global scale, it is inevitable that the first country to lose its grip will drag the entire world into a war.

A year consists of 52 weeks, which normally accounts for 104 weekend days. By adding an extra 52 days through this new schedule, you reach a total of 156 days off. When you combine this with public holidays, annual leave, and the right to work from abroad, you can actually dedicate a vast majority of the year to yourself. I believe this is the only right way forward from now on.

Amidst all these reflections, I feel the lightness that comes with making such a decision. The number of people who agreed with me at first was quite small. If you find yourself thinking this is nonsense, you are likely not alone. However, my decision-making process typically involves a series of meticulously scrutinized thoughts. There is always a margin of error. Perhaps you should be working six days a week; I cannot say for certain. As for me, I am striving to make my own star shine, and I probably need to rest right now.

I am still that person who shapes the box, yet the box has changed. The 400-horsepower engine is still there, but the road is no longer a highway to an unreachable horizon. It is a path of my own choosing. There is a certain peace in realizing that maybe the “suitable sky” was never something to be found out there, in another country or a bigger project.

Or will I finally stop searching for that perfect sky and choose to shine within the four days of the small world I have built for myself instead?