I am an Indian student studying in a German university. Like many others who posted their stories, I too made a single such mistake in life, tried stealing two music CDs (worth a total of 8 Euro) from a local store here in Germany.

I was caught by the store security guys and taken to the behind room. They searched me to ensure that those were the only things I was taking and then they called police. I was already repenting and I accepted that I was guilty. The police officer took a copy of my passport and told me to meet him in his office the next day. I was extremely nervous. I come from a good family and was always a good boy in everything, just couldn't believe I was facing the police.

I met him the next day, he just took my address and told me that he would inform me by letter when to meet him next. I asked him about what kind of punishment would I receive... he said I won't go to jail, will just have to pay some fine, may be up to 100-150 Euro.

I spent extremely depressed for a few days and then decided to be brave and face the consequence of what I have actually done and get on with my life. I received a letter after a three weeks in which I was called to meet the officer in his office. I went there. He took my personal details, -- what I do, my parents' names, my home address etc. I came home with the idea that I will be fined about 100 Euro.

Since then, I have lived there for more than three years now, but haven't got any letter or phone or anything about it either from the police or from the store. Initially I was afraid whether I would be allowed to leave/enter Germany freely, but I went to India twice after that, faced no problem. I extended my visa every year since then, the officers in the visa office never told me anything about it. In short, I have not faced any consequence of that since then. I don't know why I have not been fined yet. Also, I have not contacted or asked them about it.

May be after a few months I shall finish my studies. I want to take up a job in either technical or educational or some other field. That may be in Germany, may be in some other country, may be in my home country India. How much effect will this charge have on my job openings? From what I read in other posts, I guess that the charge will remain in my history. Unfortunate for me, but I have to accept it.

I feel extremely bad whenever I think back and recall that I did such a thing, those moments were surely the worst moments in my life. I also feel that it was rather good that I was caught, I was lucky not to get away with it, it has taught me a lot. But my employers are not supposed understand that right? I am not afraid, but I don't want this issue to come up in my life, nobody in my family and none of my friends and hopefully nobody in my circle knows about it. Can you tell me what are the kinds of jobs in which the employer may overlook this issue?