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I personally think Berlin offers the better "package" for a young professional and for what you are looking for.
The nightlife is very good, the city is interesting and there is something to discover around every corner. Great history and modern events as well.
The city is more left leaning than Vienna (there are some right wing parties in Vienna, like the party of Mr. Strache. This should not be a issue, as Europe in general is more liberal, but Berlin is one very left even for European standards. In my opinion, the politicians over there are way too left, but thats just my 50 cent.
The architecture in Vienna is more "beautiful" and old, the city is cleaner and in a way more boring compared to Berlin. I like the castles and museums and the inner city, but I would not choose to live there. If you want to visit the city, the flight from Berlin takes less than 2 hours. You could also visit Dresden, which is not that far from Berlin and offers lots of interesting architecture. Same with Prague.
German universities indeed are very cheap to attend. The rents in Berlin as cheap as well. Of course you should watch out where to move, but the crime is very low compared to american large cities. Student areas are very nice.
I don't think it is so very hard to attain residency in Germany, at least temporairly. You may apply for a student visa, in case you have chosen a university and are eligible to enroll. After you finished your graduate studies, you are a professional/academic worker and the barriers are not that high, compared to unqualified people.
Good luck :-)
Best regards from Germany,
DD
Thank you very much for the info. Berlin might sound like a better choice, especially if it is more affordable.
1.) Gaining legal residency is not easy. Finding the right girl isn't easy, either. You will find that Germans are not overly eager to get married - especially not at a younger age. You didn't specify, but I find that marriage rarely happens before the age of 30 these days - although I don't have any official numbers to back it up.
2.) Vienna is often voted as one (if not THE) best city in the world to live. Sure enough, it offers a lot and the quality of life is certainly wonderful.
Berlin is A LOT grittier, a lot larger, and a lot more varied. I would think that it is also a lot more liberal - given that Austrians, in general, are a tad more conservative than Germans and that Berlin is one of the most "left" cities in Germany. I would also think that it might be easier to get accepted in Berlin, while my perceptions of Vienna indicate that it is a bit more "clique-y." You will find Berlin to cheaper than Vienna, too.
1.) Gaining legal residency is not easy. Finding the right girl isn't easy, either. You will find that Germans are not overly eager to get married - especially not at a younger age. You didn't specify, but I find that marriage rarely happens before the age of 30 these days - although I don't have any official numbers to back it up.
2.) Vienna is often voted as one (if not THE) best city in the world to live. Sure enough, it offers a lot and the quality of life is certainly wonderful.
Berlin is A LOT grittier, a lot larger, and a lot more varied. I would think that it is also a lot more liberal - given that Austrians, in general, are a tad more conservative than Germans and that Berlin is one of the most "left" cities in Germany. I would also think that it might be easier to get accepted in Berlin, while my perceptions of Vienna indicate that it is a bit more "clique-y." You will find Berlin to cheaper than Vienna, too.
Thanks for the help.
I want to comment that I do not expect this to be by any means easy or normal. I know it will be hard.
However the EU and several of its members are on a shortage of skilled for the next 10-15 years and I see this as a perfect opportunity to attempt to live in a society as I find more appealing. They reforming their immigration and work visa policies to make it easier for people with skilled degrees to get work in the European Union. If it doesn't work out I can go back to the states.
As I said before, this wont be easy but I am willing to put in time and effort to perfect my German language skills and earn an education over there and to spend time going through the processes of getting a work visa.
I want to comment that I do not expect this to be by any means easy or normal. I know it will be hard.
However the EU and several of its members are on a shortage of skilled for the next 10-15 years and I see this as a perfect opportunity to attempt to live in a society as I find more appealing. They reforming their immigration and work visa policies to make it easier for people with skilled degrees to get work in the European Union. If it doesn't work out I can go back to the states.
As I said before, this wont be easy but I am willing to put in time and effort to perfect my German language skills and earn an education over there and to spend time going through the processes of getting a work visa.
If you have an engineering degree, your chances are actually better than average. I do not know of any other professional areas that have a shortage.
This isn't current but with their aging population they are expected to face of shortage of skilled labor in a variety of areas.
"Skilled labor" is usually defined as a job that requires some sort of higher educational degree or practice to operate. The market will vary.
Well, they did just have a big discussion about shortages in the engineering sector - thus, I would say that this is, indeed, a current issue. It actually started in 2008 with industry leaders sounding alarm that they were unable to fill engineering jobs. The problem has NOT been resolved, although there has been a bit of recruitment abroad.
Consider that the Austrians are speaking not a clear German, they have often a special (for the Germans) accent Maybe Berlin is a better choice to improve your German.
I'm living on Berlin and i like it for it's various opportunities. We have a bit of everything. You'll find here the big city live and as well quite nature.
And hey, we have the famous German Autobahn
Inform yourself with wikipedia, discover the places with google earth, watch many pictures of both cities and decide which one you attract more.
no, definetely the other way round--> Berlin>Vienna
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You could also visit Dresden, which is not that far from Berlin and offers lots of interesting architecture. Same with Prague. 
Maybe Berlin is a better choice to improve your German.
