[smartician]

I grew up in Germany and worked there for eight years, now I'm in California for 15 years. Now that I had children, I'm contemplating moving back, possibly to Zurich, which would allow me to maintain a comparable level of income.

The main thing that's holding me back is the support my wife's parents who live close by are giving us. Without them, navigating the daycare landscape is difficult and extremely expensive. So that would be a huge plus for Germany in your case. In terms of career, California has the obvious advantage, although that advantage is not as strong in Sacramento and San Diego as it would be in the SF Bay Area.

So it all depends on what you value and what your gut feeling says. How do you like Amsterdam?

Another thing to consider: If you have two options and both have strong pros so that it's difficult to decide between them, then either choice will be fine.