#Job Application for Front end Engineer

[kissesandcigarettes]

0:1 | air ball

LOVE ON COURT ╱ MINISERIES

↳ MASTERLIST

— pairing: basketball player!vinnie/tutor!reader; college!au

— word count: 5.9k+

— warnings: language, drinking, broken family dynamics, grief, mentions of past abusive relationships, terminal illness, character death, mentions of sports-related injuries, uni students doing nsfw things, character death, implied and explicit smut

summary: vincent hacker has the hearts and love of everyone in the 32,423 student body population of UCLA, on and off the court. everyone except for you, that is. you would chug down an entire bottle of ethylene glycol before you would think about placing your name in the same sentence as “love” and “vincent hacker.” it really is too bad that you didn’t think of this before you agreed upon tutoring him for an entire year.

a/n: longer author's note is at the end, i hope you enjoy the first part of this story🤍

the main floor of the tutoring center in the science and engineering library is uncharacteristically quiet, devoid of the constant, never-ending disorder that gives life to the machine-like organized chaos otherwise running this space. 

your eyes flit back and forth between the clock on the wall and the blue piece of paper – a student pre-evaluation sheet – laid down in front of you on the table. your fingers are busy with spinning and flipping a stray pen you found lying on the table earlier, a poor attempt at trying to stop yourself from leaving if you keep track of time with each passing minute. you’re itching to go, sitting close enough on the edge of your seat to fall, one leg bouncing up and down as the heel of your foot keeps rhythm. your body is taut with unreleased tension, wound up so tight you’re scared that if you let it unravel its hold around your muscles, there will be nothing to stop you from bolting out the door. 

you tell yourself that you will for sure leave this time if the student you are supposed to be meeting doesn’t come exactly in the next five minutes – but then again, you had said the same thing more than an hour and half an ago, so you doubt you’re going to stick to your word now. 

you laugh a quiet laugh that tastes bitter on your tongue as your mind spins up some out of place joke about how you got stood up over a tutoring meeting before you have ever gone on a first date. 

leaning your pounding forehead against your open palm as you shake your head in the tragically comical nature of your current reality, your eyes focus on a marker scratch on the table as you freefall into your thoughts. the dimly-lit room consoles your headache, your eyes falling shut against your will as exhaustion wraps around your resolve.  

you have been a tutor for almost two years now, having started working as one when you were a first-year student. you had applied for the job on whim after seeing a flyer about it among the many others on the main bulletin board in the student union’s plaza and stuck with it ever since. at the time you were desperate for a job, having moved away from your home without the luxury of having someone to rely on for supporting your finances if you fell on hard times. after numerous applications and unanswered emails, the green and blue flyer appeared before you like a beacon of light. over the course of the following quarters you spent as a student at UCLA, you grew immensely attached to your position, the main reason being your deep passion for teaching and providing equal learning opportunities for all. 

more than that, you liked the structured and steady routine the job had allowed you to get into amidst the chaos of your first year trying to figure out the workings of university. as your schedule was determined for that quarter, everything fell into place naturally – going to class during the day and tutoring at night, with your spare time mostly devoted to studying and/or getting involved in some student organizations, and of course looking for research opportunities, which you had done by floating through various labs in the chemistry department, with the help of professors who welcomed your eagerness and strong work ethic with open arms.

now that you think about it, your routine back then hadn’t changed all that much as a third-year student. your days still consisted of those dreadful 8am lectures and long study sessions in quiet reading rooms and devoting your spare hours to tutoring in the science center – only now, whatever little spare time you had were spent locked up in dr. ratanawa’s lab, whose cohort you had decided to join at the beginning of your second year, poring over samples and running batches of experiments and writing scrupulously detailed notes for the ever-growing-almost-final draft of your thesis stored in the depths of your laptop. you had claimed a lonely lab bench in the corner of the lab as your own, the top of which now was covered in colorful test tube racks, various pencil holders filled with bright neon highlighters, notebooks that contained all of your recordings and taped scraps of paper and post-it excerpts for your thesis that came about in your mind spontaneously, and other miscellaneous equipment you needed the most, such as pipette tips and clean test tubes. 

sprinkled throughout all of this were brief coffee breaks in the trustee garden - a coveted square piece of lush, shaded greenery, dotted with wood-and-metal benches and cut through with large cobblestone pathways, hidden amidst the towering giant concrete buildings of the sciences - for cherished moments of sunlight, almost falling asleep in the shower when you were the last one to come home and your flatmates were asleep, the campus cafes’ baristas knowing your order by name too much for your liking, and if you needed to put the pent up stress in your body to good use, going to the campus gym. the last one didn’t happen as often as you wanted, but it was better than nothing. 

long story short, you had managed to somehow elongate your 24-hour days into 25, sometimes 27 hours. if he could, einstein would rise up from his grave to give you a kiss on the forehead.

well, that was before the school’s athletics department decided to throw a fucking bulldozer of a wrench into all of it.

you don’t know who you should be more angry with: the head of athletics, who put pressure on the head of the science center to find a tutor in your group of already overworked and overstressed tutors, or yourself for being the one who readily accepted to take on the extra, un-paid hours in a brief moment of sheer, pure fucking stupidity that would make michael from the office break the fourth wall and reach through the screen to throttle you if he witnessed it.

bless your heart for your endless supply of senseless altruism. 

as the clock ticks the minutes away, it being almost 7pm and the student already being two hours late to the meeting, your anger is shifting dangerously more in the latter direction. 

after the initial wave of pure red you felt towards the balding and wire-glasses wearing man, steven or steve something, for not even bothering to learn if what he was asking was allowed or not - or not being considerate enough to wonder if you had a life of your own - dissipated, you felt much of that misplaced anger had been towards yourself from the start. anger for not being able to say no to authority figures when you needed to, anger for not being able to form firm boundaries between yourself and overcommitting, anger for your boss’ attempts to advocate for you going unheard. anger that an entitled and spoiled ball chaser’s needs are being prioritized over students who don’t have guarantees for a cushy future and have no choice but to succeed in the ruthless, cut-throat environment that is academia and beyond.

your thoughts come down crashing and burning, shattering throughout the scattered corners of your mind as your fingers stop mid spin to firmly slam the pen down on the table. 

“fuck it.” you mutter behind gritted teeth. you have waited more than long enough for this entitled brat who can’t read a clock to take the courtesy to show up and you refuse to wait any longer. you move to gather your stuff, shove your laptop in your bag with more force than necessary and grab your water bottle—

—just as the door swings open so hard it creaks at its hinges, hitting the wall behind it with a loud bang that makes you bite your tongue in alarm as it rams through the absolute silence of the building. the water bottle in your hand drops first onto the table’s edge, then onto the floor, rolling away soundlessly. 

a guy stumbles through the door, looking as if he ran all the way from the other end of the campus, quite literally breathless as his chest heaves, loud enough that you can hear the shudder of his breaths that struggle to fill his abused lungs. he looks like a racehorse trained to the brink of exhaustion, with his hair falling down to conceal his face as he bends over, hands clasped on his knees, back moving like a rising and falling mountain.

thank fucking god that you have grown to develop nerves of steel since childhood, because if you had been someone with less wits, you would’ve let out the most inappropriate shriek.   

“h-hey, are you okay?” your first instinct is to say, your hand instinctively reaching out to hover in the air as you hesitate whether you should reach for the guy or let him recover on his own. you swallow with difficulty as you watch his back spasm in a way it definitely shouldn’t. your other hand reaches for your phone in the pocket of your coat, your mind working on figuring out what you would say to the operator in the likelihood of dialing 911. 

“are-are you looking for someone–?” you try next, unsure of what to say when you don’t know if he can even hear you. you haven’t taken a single anatomy course outside of high school but have been around pre-meds too often to know that his ears must be ringing with the deafening beat of his pulse, loud enough to make your words go unheard, the thick rush of blood throbbing in his forehead.

“the tutoring center is closed for the night,” you say, your voice louder this time and steady despite the blood rushing past your own ears and your heart thundering a bruising beat against your ribs. you place a tentative palm over the left side of your chest, gently stroking over the spot as if you can calm it down.

you think that he may not have heard you once again when he doesn’t acknowledge you, but his breathing seems to be in better condition, so you repeat yourself after clearing your throat. you taste blood on your tongue when you speak. nerves of steel, indeed.

“the tutoring center is closed for the night. can i help you?”

the guy moves to stand upright, breathing more under control than when he first barged in, the only indication of his earlier exertion being the redness staining his cheeks and neck on his otherwise pale skin.

“i was–” he still sounds a bit winded, drawing in a deep breath that scrunches up his face before continuing, “–i was supposed to meet with a tutor named (y/n)? are–” another deep breath, a pant, “are you her?” 

as your startle reflex diminishes, your heartbeat reverting back to its natural rhythm and your hands left feeling clammy, you realize this must be the student you were paired with. the ringing in your ears subsides as your initial shock quietly but swiftly gives way into your earlier anger. keeping your face neutral despite your mind trying to go against you, you decide to go along with where he is taking this conversation to.

“yes,” you speak more coolly now, no trace of your earlier worry for the guy’s wellbeing left in your tone. pulling up the zipper of your coat, you shove your hands into its pockets as your lips move around the metallic taste in your mouth. “do i know you?”

“i’m vinn–i mean, vincent hacker–” he stops abruptly when you don’t make any indications of showing that you know or at least are familiar with his name. you continue to stare at him blankly, cocking an eyebrow as if what he said explains everything. you hope that you are at least masking the anger you felt earlier as it kindles back to life, not wanting him to realize he’s gotten under your skin already. 

the look on his face is that of confusion, his eyebrows pulling into a light frown. “uh, i’m…vincent hacker? i’m on the basketball team? i was told that you are the tutor assigned to me? for chem 30A? dr. orlov’s class..?” 

you get the feeling that this situation is not common for him, and neither is the lack of confidence in his words. when you don’t make any attempts to reply to this either, he stops talking all together, an expression of unease and uncertainty beginning to rise rapidly over his face. his frown deepens into one that strains his forehead. 

“am–am i in the right place? this is the science and engineering library, right?”

“right,” you say tightly, slinging the straps of your bag over your shoulders as you walk around the table to stand in front of him, yet maintain a good distance. “let me ask you this, then. do you realize what time it is, vincent?”

he blinks a few times as if it takes a moment too long for him to register your words. his eyes look around then for a clock in the room, even though you can see the lit-up screen of an apple watch peeking underneath the sleeve of his student athlete-issued hoodie. 

“um–” he stammers while his eyes continue to dart around, and you can almost taste the panic on his face seeping into his voice. 

“it’s quarter past seven, vincent.” your voice snaps his attention back to you, eyes still moving about everywhere except for your face like he is searching in his mind what the time means, and finally remembering it as his panic shifts into a sinking sense of realization across his features in one single sweep. 

“we were supposed to have a meeting - this meeting to be specific - exactly two hours and fifteen minutes ago.” you say dryly, tilting your head slightly towards the side. “you know, to discuss how i can help you do better because you are struggling in the class? so that you can stay in the team for the rest of the season? or did your coach not tell you about this?”

you see the flush of red that had settled down crawl steadily up his neck and reach his face once again, no doubt his ears that are hidden underneath his hair, too. he shifts in place awkwardly, crossing then uncrossing his arms, then finally tucking his hands in his pockets and looking away from your accusing eyes when he meets your scalding gaze for a brief second. he doesn’t say anything, but the response is as clear as day on his face that you don’t need to waste your time with giving him the benefit of the doubt thinking it could be something else. the ticking of the clock on the wall accompanies your breathing, the slight shudder you feel as you draw air in through your nose. it’s so quiet that you would hear a pin drop on the carpeted floor.  

“i’m so sorry. i didn’t mean to be so late.” his voice is apologetic, colored with what you think is shame, which catches you off-guard. you had expected him to be defensive, not standing here with his head bowed and cheeks burning with embarrassment. you don’t know what to make of it and if you should believe him. is he being truthful? you want to believe he is. you think the downward curl of his lip and the way his eyebrows have scrunched up and his voice is so quiet and the flush on his skin has become deeper with each word isn’t an act. you notice the puffiness surrounding his eyes, most visible underneath where you also notice are prominent bags and darkness as if he hasn’t been sleeping. you almost feel sympathetic towards him, ready to ask – 

is everything okay?

– but the small, cruel voice that hides in the back of your mind and rears its ugly head out only at times when you want to give in to your emotions pipes up. whispering cold, sharp words mockingly into your consciousness, it pulls you back from the edge you’re standing on of softening your gaze and dulling the bite of your words. you don’t even realize the shift within yourself until you start thinking again. you highly doubt his words. it’s just another way for people like him to charm others to gain undeserving sympathy and make the situation when they’re at fault work in their favor. the shame you saw in his face and heard in his voice suddenly makes red flash across your vision and burn your tongue as if you held it over an open fire. there is a bitter, all-consuming ache blooming in the middle of your chest that winds up your throat and settles in the back like an unmoving lump. you swallow with difficulty around that weight, your fingers catching on the material lining inside the pockets of your coat as your hands curl into fists. 

he cracks his fingers one by one as his hands hang by his side, voice timid almost as if he wants to disappear the way the syllables disappear at the back of his throat. “the coach made us all stay back longer because we started late and there weren’t any shuttles running at night because it’s friday so i–”

something in you snaps. the small voice chuckles like nails scraping on ice. your throat aches in tandem with the ache inside your chest. 

you stupid fuck. stupid, stupid girl. 

“no. no–vincent–just stop.” you cut him off with a startle, shaking your head as his words die out underneath the force of yours. “are you really going to do this? i mean, isn’t this getting old for your crowd – blaming your coach every time? like, what are you trying to accomplish by giving me all these excuses to cover up the fact that you’re lying?

he almost does a double take at the way your tone shifts - not a slow build, but a snap that echoes like a crack in the air between you. the pressure of the weight behind your ribs finally bursts, the ache filling the space inside like steam rising from a fissure. you watch as his eyebrows rise - not too much but enough so that you see the movement on his forehead - his lips parting open. the flush of warmth on his face dissipates away like water going down the drain as your words hit him across the face like a bucket of cool water. this, you can tell, was not what he expected to hear from you. 

you continue when he doesn’t speak, letting out a dry scoff that sticks behind your tiredly aching teeth, pushing loose tendrils of hair out of your face. the words seem to tumble out before you can reel them back in or find the reason in yourself to stop and address your logic. “i don’t have to do this, you know. i really don’t. i don’t know if you even thought about this, but do you realize i’m taking time that i don’t have out of my night to come here, only waste all these hours i could have used otherwise to instead wait on you?”

he looks at you with an expression you can’t pinpoint as to what exactly it is when it’s a combination of many things at once – shock, surprise, embarrassment, confusion. except for that moment just before a rising swell of anger, which you know all too well. you don’t like the way he’s suddenly scrutinizing you, as if he is looking at you underneath a microscope, as if he could see right through you if he wanted to with just a few turns of the focus knobs and tuning the sharpness, holding light to whatever you are keeping hidden inside you in dark corners. 

“are you done so that i can get a word in too? or do you think everyone likes listening to you speak as much as yourself?” he says in a steady voice that betrays the ticking in his jaw, yet the words bite deeper than just at the surface level like you pretend they do. 

“i’m just wondering, do you automatically accuse everyone you’ve known for less than five minutes of being a liar if you don’t like what they say? or am i the only exception?” he continues, his eyes narrowing slightly as he continues to scrutinize you with that searching gaze you think you don’t like at all. 

you hold back a scoff that had been climbing its way out of your throat. “i would say the head of the athletic department coming to request private tutoring for you, plus the fact that your spot on the team hinges on your grades and gpa, should’ve been enough to ring some bells, don’t you think? or do you still think i’m automatically accusing you, just wondering?”

his frown deepens at your words, and you take that as a sign of his growing frustration as you confront him with the truths that brought you here into this moment. 

“i know the logistics of what i need to do to stay on the team.” he deadpans, his movements stiff as he straightens his stance now that the initial surprise has worn off and he can match you head on. a simple straightening of his back fixes his posture, which makes you look him up and down when you realize how imposing his frame is when you see him this close in the flesh. “what i don’t get is how you made me out to be a liar when you don’t know anything about me besides the fact that i’m an athlete and doing poorly in a class.”

so, he’s not entirely as dense as you thought. 

crossing your arms to meet his stance, “it’s simple, really, and it’s quite easy to understand. you just don’t want to.” you quip back. “this meeting was arranged almost a week ago, which means you should’ve been well aware of meeting me here today last friday. which means that there should be no excuse for you to be more than two hours late. you’re just arguing-”

“–i’m arguing? you’re the one who started going off on me the moment i walked in here-”

“–because you’re trying to cover up your own ass for being neglectful and not taking responsibility over your academics and you’re trying to make me look like the bad person here-”

“–trying to make you look like the bad person?” he tilts his head in confusion, eyes widening and face scrunching like he ate something sour. “what are you talking about? i was trying to apologize to you and you would’ve rightfully gotten it if you didn’t cut me off like that when you did. seriously, do they hand out attitude like it’s candy when you get hired? because i’m starting to think it’s part of the job.”

“on the contrary, vincent, does every single athlete i have the misfortune of working with have to read a manual on how to make entitlement and arrogance a part of your personality? because i’m starting to wonder if humility exists for you only when you’re speaking to the cameras for espn courtside.” your palms grip around your forearms so tight that the material of your coat wrinkles to stop your voice from wavering as your anger threatens to boil over. “why don’t you think about bringing your sense of responsibility off the court too, rather than blame the ones who are actually doing well and trying to help incompetents like you?”

yikes yikes yikes. that was a blow so low that it would have made your mom slap you across the face in retribution if she were in your life.

he barks out an incredulous laugh, like a hot knife poking at your nerves, but you don’t miss the expression of deep hurt flash across his face as quick as lightning or the way he flinches at the insult like you physically struck him. a deep, chasm-like silence stretches between your bodies before he breaks it.

“incompetent? no - now you’re just taking this way out of proportion and making it into something else entirely. who gave you the right to be this disrespectful, my god-”

you should stop. you really should. 

but you don’t. 

“-you’re the last person to be giving me a lecture on disrespect when you-” you point your finger towards him, “-don’t even have the decency to come up to me and ask me to give you tutoring yourself-” then point at yourself with the same threatening gesture “-or the courtesy to let me know that you will be late and make me waste my night by sitting here doing nothing.”

“i didn’t have any way to contact you.” he says as if that’s supposed to be the explanation for everything. “you didn’t leave any of your personal info with anyone from the team, so i couldn’t reach out you even if i wanted to.”

what? you’re absolutely sure you had your phone number and university email written on the form you gave to the athletics office – if anything it’s mandatory for you to provide that for the benefit of the student. how did they not give it to him all this time? 

but still. you don’t think that’s valid enough to justify his negligence when you’re keeping up with the responsibilities on your end more than someone else in your position would have. 

“that’s no excuse.” you almost seeth, the words coming out of your mouth rapidly as if they can hurt him with their speed. every new piece of information that leaves his mouth adds onto the notches that you’re collecting in giving rise to your fury. “you could’ve come here during our regular hours. there’s a secretary here that you can leave a message with, she could have saved it for me and let me know when i was here the next time.”

vincent lets out an exasperated sigh, rubbing a closed fist over his eyes which you notice look very red and irritated even from the distance. “i don’t have time during the day, do you not get why-”

“then you make the time for it!” you slap the back of your hand against your palm in frustration. you realize distinctly that you’re yelling, but you can’t seem to stop once you let it out. “just like i am trying to make the time for you when i don’t have to. you’re all so inconsiderate–you just–you just look out into the world from a tunnel and can’t see anything around you besides yourselves and that fucking court. do you think i want to be here at this time of the night? that i just have free time lying around to use up because i’m bored? no, i’m stretching myself thin to help you out, but you obviously don’t even care about any of this!”

a muscle tics in vincent’s jaw as he grits his teeth, staring at you behind narrowed, wet looking eyes and a sharp, dissecting gaze. you think it would indeed be intimidating to be on the receiving end of that stare if you weren’t the person you were. 

when he talks, his voice is cold as ice and distant as the look in his eyes. there’s no sharpness, no emotion behind his words, which scares you more than if there was underlying anger in them. with the latter, you would know that he is matching you head on, that he feels the same as you do so that you are right in some way to be so harsh with him. but when he is completely numb like this, as if this brief argument just carved his insides and left him hallow, you feel as if you are yelling at a child who doesn’t know any better. 

“where are you getting all of this from, huh?” his voice is rough, but there’s something else beneath it too - not just anger, but something close to exhaustion. “who made you believe you’re so special that you think anyone who’s not like you is stupid or not busy enough? do you know what i have to do to–” 

he cuts himself off as if he realized he was about to give himself away, jaw clenching hard as he bites down on the words that almost escaped out, as he looks at you with an expression you can’t understand. his face slackens at his near mistake, but shutters back up just as quickly. a sharp inhale makes his chest shudder. shaking his head, he wipes a hand tiredly down his face. you shove down the urge to rub your eyes, moving past the stinging ache that’s consistently been there the entire day. you are once again thankful that the room is dimly lit and you don’t have to squint to see him like a newborn mole rat.

“nah,” he huffs out an empty sound that breaks into shards in the air. “nevermind. it doesn’t matter what i tell you. nothing i say would change your mind, would it?”

you scowl at his words, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. “i don’t have a reason to when all you’re going tell me is how hard it is for you to practice every other day and just do the bare minimum to pass your classes-”

his eyes flash. “-here you go again with this crap, who gave you the right-”

“regardless of whatever else you have going on outside of your academics, the fact that i was asked to accommodate you, by someone that i wasn’t given much of a choice to say no to, for you to act like this, says a lot about how this will go.” 

vincent looks at you in disbelief, as if he can’t comprehend how the conversation spiraled so out of control so quickly. you feel like you are stranded on a floating raft in the middle of the ocean, struggling to stand on it. you are trying to stay afloat, keeping the raft from tilting too far in one direction by constantly shuffling in place. but one movement too much, just one sudden disturbance, and you will both get swallowed in the salty depths of the waves. eventually, though, one of you will move too much, and you will both fall over into vast, unknown darkness. you just don’t know who it will be yet. 

vincent looks at you in what you can only call puzzled, hurt disbelief. “i seriously don’t understand you. i told you i was sorry, i was trying to apologize until you decided to go off with that tirade.” he shakes his head, a hollow laugh escaping him. “forget it. i can’t– i can’t do this if you’re just gonna give me this-this attitude, whatever this is-” he gestures at you with his hands, “-every time you see me. i would rather fail that class and retake it than have to see your face every day.”

you laugh bitterly; you knew in your gut your argument would end in this way. the raft is slippery and unsteady underneath your feet as vincent inches away to the other edge, jaw tight and shoulders squared as if he’s bracing for the incoming fall, and you think you will need to push only a little more before you are both drowning. you’re not surprised, but disappointed in yourself for believing maybe this would have been different. you really should reduce your expectations if nothing else but for your own sanity.

“it pains me to say this, but i think we finally agree on something here.” your left eye pulses in a slow twitch from the exhaustion of the past couple days catching up with you. it’s crowding inside your brain, your thoughts and words going fuzzy as you grip onto your adrenaline to keep you awake until you can get home. “i don’t think that we’re a pair fit to be working together. i can’t tutor someone who won’t take responsibility for his own actions and don’t know what his priorities are when they’re so obvious.”

you walk up to him, closing the distance between you by reaching out to hand him the piece of paper you had been holding onto just in case. “here’s the form that you need to fill out to have someone else replace me. it might take a while since there’s only a few of us, and everyone is booked already for the year. thanks to you and your team for that architectural monstrosity you call an arena, we lost our previous budget and had to settle for a new one that cut down half of the staff here.”

his eyes are seething and red as he rips the form out of your hands - too fast, too rough - the sharp edge of the paper slicing clean through the underside of your finger as you move your hand back. the cut is clean and burning, but you don’t register the pain right away - you feel the breaking sensation through your skin before you feel the pain. it sends a small shock through your hand and you bite down on your stinging tongue to trap the small gasp that forms at the back of your throat. instead, you match his gaze with an equally furious one of your own - and you’re horrified to find that he’s not looking at your face, but at the hand you’re cradling in your palm. you don’t look down to see what damage lies there; instead, you close your fingers over it tightly and completely to hide it away, putting your arms down, which makes him look back up at you. underneath the redness and swelling in his eyes, you see something else flicker in his pupils - something like regret, but it’s gone before you can catalog it for processing later when your mind isn’t so consumed by anger. 

you stare at him for one more second, then shoulder past him as roughly as you can and head out the door with big steps, shutting it behind you hard enough it slams close with a bang that echoes in the empty hallway. you don’t bother with calling the elevator, knowing it will take ages to get to the fourth floor, and make your way down the emergency stairs, taking them as fast as your feet will move. 

you notice the sensation of something sticky and warm pooling inside your closed palm when you push open the door to step outside, the crisp, chilly night air hitting your coat-warmed body all at once. you open your trembling, tightly closed fist to see that the cut is bleeding, more than you thought it would. there is a thick rivulet of it running down that you look at with a dull gaze. you blink away the angry tears forming in your eyes as a shiver settles into your body, wiping them away harshly with the back of your hand as you let out a shaky breath. the pain of the cut is acute, but it’s real, grounding you when everything else feels like it’s spiraling. you walk to the bus stop with your free hand pressed around your bleeding finger, prying it away only when you can’t tolerate the cold wind chilling the warmth of the tears sliding down your cheeks. 

you just want to get to your apartment and sleep this night off to forget about it, hoping that tomorrow morning you won’t remember any of it.

a/n: it's been such a long time since i've been active on here, let alone write anything, but this was a little something i had been working on while i was away. the university i went to was HUGE on their men's basketball team and i started to think about if vin was in an engineering major student athlete on the basketball basketball team with a fireball of a STEM tutor thrown into the mix and here we are.

i love my reader character already, she means so much to me you guys don't understand. right now it looks impossible for her and vin to be in a romantic relationship, let alone a friendly one, but doesn't the transformation make it all the more satisfying?

i want to hug vin in this chapter. i just know it that he was holding it together when the reader was there but the moment she left and he went home he had a good angry/hurt crying session lying down on his bed. he may or may not have listened to music, i'll leave that up to you to decide and pick the song.

i was debating whether to make it one-post long or divide it up into a multi-part series and considering this part is almost 6k words alone...i think it's the healthiest option to do a multi-part miniseries. i still feel rusty about writing and edited this so many times (and will undoubtedly come back to edit again after its posted) so i hope it's not boring or dull or a drag to get through. thank you thank you thank you if you finished this rambling all the way here. if you enjoyed, please leave down your thoughts about any part of it - your words mean the absolute world. until next time, sending much love to all of you🤍

[eccentricgrace]

Building The Resumé || IronDad

summary: tony invites peter to a stark industries event. nothing bad could ever possibly happen!

tags: sketchy npc character, banter, protective tony stark, peter parker pretends to be a stark intern, peter parker's ever-present battle with the 'is this a threat or am i having an anxiety attack' argument

wc: 2,372

cross-posted on wattpad under the same name!

It was two weeks ago when he asked.

"Whether you go or not," Tony reassured him slowly, his eyes somber, "you're still going to be counted as an intern. I'm just saying, if you're worried about going just because you want it to show on your resumes, or applications, or— or anything like that, don't be. Don't be worried."

Peter blinked several times, taking it all in, struggling to click the words Tony's saying into place. With the way he was acting, you'd think Tony was asking him offering a train for him to jump in front of.

"I'm not worried," Peter laughed breathlessly, his eyebrows furrowed. His laugh falters off. "I mean, are— are you worried? I don't need to go if you don't want me to."

"No! No— I mean," Tony exhaled stiffly, pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose. "I have a complicated history with these sort of parties. That's all, kid. I just know you've been wanting some internship stuff to show on your record, so Pepper told me to offer this."

"So, it's like a business party?" Peter clarified. "I've been to those before. May's brought me to some for F.E.A.S.T., they aren't too bad."

"Lets just the people working at your aunt's charitable nonprofit is a little different than the crowd around S.I.," Tony said dryly. "Like I said, you're more than welcome to go. Or not go."

Funnily enough, this wasn't the first time Tony tried to bring his name's company in conversation. Key word to explain, tried. To be clear, Peter has never had any difficulties with the subject; but at some point he realized it was a sensitive subject for Tony, so it never comes up unless it's on his own terms.

This is as rare an occurrence as expected, but every time it has happened, Tony acts so entirely nervous that it can be confusing as to how Peter's supposed to respond. Every sentence always ends with a BUT, always making sure to add an easy escape plan for Peter to deny.

He isn't sure what to make of it. He's still learning.

Peter shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean... it's just one party. It sounds exciting."

"Alright then. It's on the ninth. I'll pick you up."

"Okay," Tony set his jaw. He nodded once. "Sounds good."

So.

Two weeks later, and Peter is asking the entire drive there if there's anything specific he should know, anything he should be saying, anything he should not be saying, and Tony answers every one with an extraordinary amount of patience.

"Does my suit look okay?" Peter asks, and the elevator is going up, up, up, all the way to the rooftop. They're at some fancy building that Tony said he only uses for business events, or something. "I'm not underdressed, right? Or— is my tie straight? I feel like it's crooked, is it crooked?"

Through the tangible waves of his anxiety, Tony spares enough time to give him this fond, half-tilted look and shakes his head.

"It is now," he says, moving forward to brush Peter's fidgeting hands away from the tie. He straightens it properly, and pats it down. "You look fine, very professional. Good job, kid. They'll think you're the son of a very wealthy business major or something."

"Electrical engineering major?" Peter jokes. He immediately shuts his mouth, his ears going red.

Tony quirks an eyebrow at him. After a moment, he adds: "I also majored in physics."

They step through the doors, walking out onto a very busy balcony. The party seems to swell as people recognize who's just arrived, and people begin to make their way around just to catch a glimpse of the illustrious Stark.

The thing is, as it was explained to Peter earlier, the only reason Tony is even at the party is for appearances.

("Everyone knows Pepper is the one in charge," Tony rolls his eyes. "But nevertheless, they put my name on the invitation, and if I don't show up to at least one a month the stocks start tanking. This is basically just my homework.")

Even so, Tony blends in with the crowd of the party in a way Peter's never seen before. He's like an entirely different person, which is strange because— he's familiar, isn't he? This is the Tony Stark he grew up seeing in the news, isn't it? It's the one he's had talking in his ear everytime he did his homework until he was like, twelve.

Tony smiles at those around him, and it may pull at the lines of eyes but there's a distinct lack of light in them. He waves casually to everyone who nods a greeting at him, but his arm is tense, and his spine is rigid.

Peter trails along behind him, going wholly unnoticed. It sort of feels like walking through the hallways at school, only if he was friends with the most popular kid for once, and everyone who he was brushing into him wore stuffy business suits instead of backpacks.

It's would be funny watching the switch of personality Tony undergoes between stranger and known person, if it weren't so fascinating first and foremost. He's laughing at someone's bad joke, the kind that's hollow in his chest and forces a cheek-burning smile—and then Peter taps him on the shoulder to murmur how someone's purse looks more expensive than his Very Good Condition Han Solo-on-a-Tauntaun collectible figurine— and suddenly his eyes light up and his laugh sounds so much brighter, and Peter can't understand why nobody else can tell.

"The food here is so good," Peter says to him quietly, immensely pleased with his tenth hors d'oeuvre. He very politely tries to wipe his hands on a paper napkin. "Is all rich people food like this?"

Tony guffaws, but he looks so amused that Peter knows he's not offended. "Definitely not. One day I'll take you to try this one LA restaurant's escargot— cost an arm and a leg, gave me food poisoning for four days."

Peter grimaces, sticking a laugh.

Tony chuckles, pats him on the shoulder, gently tugs him around in that gruff, paternal way that Peter is still getting used to again. Then he's pulled into yet another conversation that Peter's never seen.

Nobody has really looked at Peter the entire party. Nobody has engaged him in any conversation, they don't really pay him any mind when he leans in to say something to Tony once in a while.

To reiterate, Peter's seamlessly blended into the background for generally the entire party.

This is why it is so obvious when he feels someone's eyes at the back of his neck.

Peter shifts, and his gaze falls over the man in question. He's on the far side of the roof, lingering close to the glass, and looking insanely shady. Cartoonishly so.

There's nothing specific sticking out that tells him something is wrong about the guy, other that the fact he keeps staring at Tony from across the party. Still, every time Peter tries to look away from the guy, even if for a moment, the familiar sense of dread and anxiety starts prickling again at the back of his skull, twitching in his hands.

He makes the call. He pulls at Tony's sleeve.

This is something they talked about, before. Peter's out. His 'get out of jail free' card.

Tony is in the middle of a sentence when Peter does it, and immediately he cuts it off. He doesn't even say an excuse to whoever he was speaking to. He turns around, his vigilant eyes make quick work of scanning Peter for any immediate distress.

("Okay, I'm going to say some important shit here," Tony said, spinning around in his chair. "Listen up."

"Listening," Peter said, quickly finishing the numbers on his page. He dropped the pencil and looked up, and immediately froze at the intensity of Tony's gaze. "Uh..."

"There's going to be a lot of people," tony explained seriously. "They might act polite, but they won't give two fucks about pushing you around or getting too close."

Right. So he was back on the event again. Peter frowned, and nodded at the warning, thinking that was it. It was not.

"In the event something happens, and your senses get out of wack, or you get uncomfortable, or you just want to leave, for any reason, you let me know," Tony continued, each word pointed and sharp in the way that a seatbelt would dig into your neck.

Peter opened his mouth. He closed it again.

"Don't hesitate to bug me, I'm serious. I don't like talking to these people anyways, you'll only be doing me a favor if you drag me from some conversation about investing in some shitty influencer pyramid scheme. We'll call it a 'get out of jail free' card, alright?"

"You..." Peter struggled for words. "You really are planning a lot for this."

He couldn't tell whether to be confused, impressed, or concerned.

Tony's eyes went grave. "I wish I had one of these plans when I was your age and going to these things against my will. Even if you want to go, I'm not personally putting any kid through this without one."

Peter decided then that the proper response was to be reasonably upset.)

"Are you okay?" Tony asks firmly, his voice low. He puts his trust in Peter's ability to hear him, which thankfully, he does.

Peter nods, then subtly tries to gesture to the guy at the other end of the balcony. "Do you see that guy over there?"

Tony nods casually, taking a glass from the serving plate of a passing waiter. "Yeah, started setting off red flags when he walked in." He smiles, fake, waving at another stranger. "He setting you off?"

Peter, for the sake of urgency, sidesteps Tony's ability to apparently know danger without a sixth sense, and instead nods. He's frowning. He can feel it on his face.

"Don't look worried," Tony sips at his drink. "Act normal, kid. You act like something's off, he's gonna know that you see him. Smile."

Peter smiles.

"That's a terrible smile, you look like you have a gun to your head."

Peter stops smiling.

Tony finishes his drink. "Here's the plan. I'll go talk to him, I'll try to lure him away from all these people, you're gonna keep a loose follow behind. When the time is right, we'll see what happens and either send him home or knock him out."

"You're gonna talk to him?" Peter whispers frantically.

"Yep." With that, Tony sets the empty glass on another tray and begins making his way through the crowd, leaving Peter no more time to argue.

So, what else is he to do except follow (loosely) behind Tony while he makes his way through the crowd.  The suspicious guy in question starts to widen his eyes as they corner him, and he makes their job far easier by booking it towards the exit.

Tony sighs. "Kid—"

"On it," Peter says, dodging and weaving through people to stay hot on the trail. Once he gets past the crowds, he's fast, and makes it to the door at the same time.

He feels suddenly very vulnerable without his mask, and realizes belatedly why Tony's previous plan worked the way it did. Either way, it wasn't going to work anymore, so instead Peter gets them both inside and holds onto his wrist.

The man struggles like a rat caught by the tail. "Let go! Let go of me!"

"Do you have any weapons on you?" Peter asks politely. "You're gonna wanna tell me before Mr. Stark finds them, I'll be nicer about it. Better be quick, I can hear him walking. One, two..."

"Knife!" The man splutters quickly. "There's a knife! On my waist, it's on my waist!"

Peter quickly finds it, pulls it off, chucks it to the floor. Tony slips through the door now, wearing his glasses— he starts looking the guy up and down.

"Alright, what is it?" Tony demands. He juts his chin sharply to the side. "You want something? Money? Endorsement?"

"No," the man says. Now that the initial shock has worn off, anger begins to bubble in his eyes. "None of that. You fired me. I want my damn job back."

Tony makes an uninterested noise. "I don't know why I fired you, but considering you've stalked me and my intern to a private event to do god-knows-what for your position back, I'm going to say it was the correct call."

"No," the man seethes. "No! It was my idea! You— you thief— I'll kill you! I'll kill you and the goddamn kid—"

The facade on Tony's face shudders into something dark. He folds his glasses and sticks them in his pocket, and steps close to the man's face. He looks at him with scrutiny, his lips curled in finely controlled ferocity. 

"Say it again."

The man pants, fighting against Peter's grip again. He snarls, keeping Tony's eyes. "I said I'll—"

Without so much of a twitch, Tony wrenches his fist back and drives it into the man's nose.

The man goes limp instantly, his eyes rolling back in his lolling head.

"Holy shit," Peter breathes, and after a moment of shock, drops the unconscious man to the ground. "That was insane. Are you okay?"

Tony grumbles, shaking his knuckles out. "Peachy. Hey, kid, how about we ditch this party? There's a Van Leeuwen ice-cream cone with your name on it."

"I—" Peter stares back down at the guy incredulously. He gives Tony a pointed, confused look. "—are we not gonna—?"

Tony taps the side of his glasses twice. Starts making his way toward the elevator. "Happens more than you think."

Peter scrambles to catch up with him, casting repeated looks back at the unconscious dude. Security have begun to come in from the balcony. "Why do you sound so annoyed? How often does this happen?"

"Jesus, doesn't it?" Tony scoffs. "Attempts on the life get annoying when you've been dealing with it your literal whole life."

"...Wow."

"Anyways, I've officially decided," Tony says. He enters the elevator, his face stern. "Next time, you're staying home."

[xivrefsheets]

I am so terribly sorry for the personal post but I'm on the verge of tears and get a bit of reach here.

The short version of the story: My car needs repairs ASAP and based on the suspected issue, this could be thousands of dollars. On top of that, my roommate and I are moving next month and she and I need help with the cost of movers, down payments, and carpet cleaners at our current place.

I'm accepting donations on my ko-fi. You can also go to my ko-fi for a ref sheet comm if you would like to purchase one and help me out (or donate to put a complete sheet in need of updates higher on the priority list).

I also take art commissions.

More info for those who want more context below the cut.

The car has actually been having issues for quite some time. Over a year since the most jarring issue started. It's been steadily getting worse as I keep ending up in Situations where I need to drop a large sum of money and can't save up to get it repaired. As of literally today, the issue has gotten worse to the point where the check engine light is now blinking. A friend of mine who grew up knowing cars believe the catalytic converter is at fault and a quick google search tells me this will be thousands of dollars to fix. Hopefully I'll know more come tomorrow when I can actually have a mechanic look at it and adjust the ko-fi goal accordingly.

As for the move, I've only just moved to my current place a year ago and due to Issues that I won't go into detail in this public space, it is no longer a sustainable place for myself and two roommates to live in so we don't really have any other options. Even so, our landlord had to sell the property to an investor this past month, so staying wouldn't have been a safe long-term option for us regardless.

By mid-February, myself and one of the two roommates need to move out. We just applied for an apartment together, and once her co-signer sends off their application we'll hopefully hear back if we'll be able to get this place or not. It's a lot more affordable, but she and I are in a rough spot and could use help with the cost of movers, getting our security deposit in, and per the contract with our current residence, we have to hire professional carpet cleaners when we leave.

I do have a job outside of commissions, but unfortunately the place doesn't pay me a livable wage and refuses to budge on giving me a raise and only dangles the potential to move up in the store in front of me. I am in the process of looking for a new job now, but thanks to my mental illnesses and deteriorating health, my options are pretty slim so I can't promise anything good immediately.

And on top of ALL this, the new month has started so all of my bills are coming in :)

I'm incredibly stressed and feeling hopeless so any little bit of help really means a lot to me. To anyone who read this far, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If anyone is interested in ref sheets or art commissions, I do apologize that the circumstances will delay completion times, but they will get done.

[ciaomarie]

Part 6: What Then?

It's over kids! The longest and final chapter is done. Chris Storer & Co. are probably going to put our beloveds through it in S3, but until then let's enjoy our low-key angst and romance. Post Season 2, Canon-Compliant, swoony, girly, fluffy. A happy-ending obviously.

After 10 years of grinding himself into dust Carm’s body began to surrender. About a month after The Bear’s opening, he came down with a cold that turned into a low-grade fever, a bitter cough with lime green mucus, night sweats, and mind-numbing exhaustion. After two days Sydney and Fak showed up to his apartment and dragged him to the emergency room. It was pneumonia and dehydration. The young male doctor muttered that his lungs sounded just like his father’s, a 40-year smoker. Yes, pneumonia was the primary reason, but a man Carmy’s age should be in better shape. He was out of commission for a whole week. The regret of letting down The Bear crew so soon after the Friends and Family fiasco motivated him to make a couple changes. First, he allowed himself only one emergency cigarette a day, which he needed less and less. Second, he went outside on Mondays, when the restaurant was closed. If the temperature was over 30℉, he took the train or walked to a park. His favorites were Humboldt and the Garfield Park Conservatory. Today he had come to the latter with his sketchbook and pencils in his backpack. Since the renovation he had continued drawing.

As he went towards to his favorite bench, he noticed a slender woman walking ahead of him. Her height, long swishing braids and jacket were identical to Syd’s. He compulsively began jogging towards her. Before he could call out her name, the woman pounced on a tall lanky man in front of her, wrapping her arms around his waist. Carmen had the sensation of being pushed off a diving board unexpectedly, his stomach pitching forward, unable to breathe much less scream before slamming into the water like a brick. The man turned and picked up Sydney up, planting a kiss on her mouth. He spun her around and…she wasn’t Syd. Thank God.

Carm made his way to the bench and hunched over, his head in his hands. She wasn’t Syd he recanted over and over until the feeling of relief gave way to self-reproach. This time it wasn’t her, but one day it would be. Would he be able to live with that? Uncle Jimmy’s warning not to be an overthinking manichino flashed in his mind. It was time to do something. He took out his sketchpad and began thumbing through it, an idea beginning to take shape. Hopefully, it wouldn’t scare Syd away.

The following Monday Sydney was in her cousin’s salon getting her entire life. Her microbraids were taken out, her hair was washed, deep conditioned, her scalp massaged, and now she was getting box braids put in. They were accented with delicate gold hair cuffs. She drowsed in the chair, with an almost empty to-go container of jollof rice in her lap, as her cousin and another hair stylist quietly discussed the latest season of Love is Blind.

“Sydney babe, would you ever go on Love is Blind?” her cousin, Ashley, asked in a louder tone.

Syd startled and rubbed her eyes.

“Never. That’s insane.”

“I got a message on IG that it’s coming to Chicago. You live and breathe your job so when are you going to meet somebody? Maybe your soulmate is in one of those pods!”

“Why don’t you apply then? You could find “love” and get more exposure for the salon.”

“Same for you and your restaurant ma’am, but I have a man.”

“Since when?”

“Since three months ago. His name is David, he’s a chemical engineer and the son of you know, Ms. Jumoke, she goes to the African church on Mackinaw…St. Paul.”

“Yeah, I remember her. Her sister used to watch me when my dad worked nights.”

“Anyways, back to you. Are you dating anyone, or should I send you the show application?”

“I don’t think love is blind. Have you seen the people they cast? Nobody too unfortunate-looking gets on. It’s so shallow.”

 “Ha! You’re one to talk. You have a very distinct type…white boys with tats and muscles.”

“Ashley, there’s been two of them. Like, that’s not a pattern.”

“No, three! This boss, no “partner”, of yours, had Sydney written over him. The family never sees you anymore.”

“I came to lunch at uncle and auntie’s last month! Besides, opening a new business is like having a kid. You know this.”

“Sure, but when I had dinner at your restaurant and you introduced us, he complimented you for five minutes and then followed you to the kitchen like a whipped puppy.”

Sydney grinned biting her lower lip and covered her eyes. Her cousin stopped braiding and hugged her.

“Aww…my baby cousin is finally going to get some!”

“ASHLEY!” Sydney groaned pushing off her cousin’s arms.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop, but I am happy for you. He is sexy. That neck is thicker than a tree stump.”

Sydney who had just taken a sip of her sweet tea, spat it out all over the mirror.

“That’s on you, Ashley!” she choked out between laughing and coughing.

When she was able to contain herself, she tried to reel her cousin back in. Talking about romantic potential with Carmy gave her too much pleasure. If he was content with the status quo she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“Nothing really is going on. We’re business partners and we’re pretty good friends and it’s probably best we keep it that way.”

“Yes, and he gave you an equal share in the restaurant out of the friendly kindness of his heart.”

“You know, I think he would do that, because I’ve put in so much work, but it did feel like it was something more, at least his Uncle Cicero or Jimmy seemed to think so.”

“Girl, watch out. His sister and an uncle like you!? Would you take his last name, hyphenate, or keep Adamu?”

“Ugh, I’m not going there with you! Shouldn’t you be done with my hair by now?”

“If you want it done right it’ll be 2 more hours. If you don’t…30 minutes?”

“Fine, take your time but please let me sleep.”

Sydney closed her eyes, admiring her self-control. She hadn’t told Ashley that Carmy asked her to come by The Bear this evening. He was reworking a few old dishes. The invite was made at the end of the night a few days ago while they were turning off the lights. She said yes as they pulled down the last switch and she couldn’t see his expression, but she heard him exhale loudly as if he feared she’d decline. Sometimes they meet up on Mondays to network with vendors or collaborate on menu ideas, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary. However, she intuited he was hiding something again like when he and Nat surprised her with a share in the restaurant. This time she didn’t pester him for details, knowing that it was probably worth waiting for.

When Syd arrived home at 3:00 pm she could’ve folded laundry and watched an episode of Psych, but she decided to pretend this was a date; well, like she was preparing for a date. It was a long time since her last. She had entered the Convent of Failed Dreams after Sheridan. Then The Beef/The Bear became her world. The light blue cuffed jeans and stripped white and mint green button-down shirt she was wearing was more than appropriate for a food brainstorming session. However, Carmy’s mysterious attitude might be concealing more great news. She might as well look good when and if he had some.

She took a luxuriously long shower, shaved, and rubbed in her mandarin-scented body oil. Then she entered slowly sifted through her closet considering a red jumpsuit, or just nicer jeans and a blouse when her eyes fell on her marigold-colored shirt dress. It was knee length, comfortable, but chic and the color made her complexion pop. She paired it with a brown and gold oval buckle belt and brown flats because she might be standing in the kitchen for hours. After a short struggle she decided to keep the top two buttons of her shirt dress open. It was only a collar bone, not cleavage. Then she considered makeup. She hated wearing a lot of it; her skin felt suffocated with foundation. She did her brows, applied mascara, a little mineral powder, a smidge of highlighter on her cheekbones, and finished with the Fenty “Hot Choclit” gloss bomb her cousin had given her as part of a set for Christmas. Her new braids with the gold cuffs made the look even better and Sydney couldn’t help admiring herself more than usual in her floor-length mirror. She felt so delicious that she ordered an Uber rather than sit on the train. She would take it later or maybe Carm would give her a ride home.

Just before she could lock the door Emmanuel came up the stairwell, his face lighting up.

“My baby girl, you are stunning! Where are you headed?”

“Thanks, daddy. I’m just going to the restaurant. Felt like dressing up for once.”

“So, is it a staff meeting?”

“No, just working on some recipes. I gotta go. My Uber’s waiting.”

Emmanuel leaned against the door and nodded with a sly smile.

“Oh okay, I see. Tell Carmen I said hello. Have fun!”

Sydney’s eyes widened and she ran down the stairs waving goodbye. Her voice couldn’t be trusted.

When the car arrived at the restaurant, the sky was overcast, the evening darker than usual for the time of year. She let herself in and observed the layout. The lights were low, and the back center booth was set for dinner, with a single table candlelit. She could see Carmy in the kitchen already sautéing something. She was headed towards him when he looked up, seeing her through the window and rushed to meet her in the front.

“Syd don’t-” he began before he was immobilized by the vision before him.

Sydney was similarly taken with him and marveled at how often they were of the same mind. Carm was wearing a crisp button-down blue shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, the shirt tucked into dark navy pants, and he had gotten a haircut. Somehow it made his eyes stand out more. The sides were moderately tapered, his hair on top remained almost as long as before, and one of his rogue curls was damp against his forehead. He was perspiring, apparently having been cooking for a while.

“Nice haircut”, “You look amazing” they began at the same time and laughed nervously.

Carmy started again, beating his trusty spoon against his palm.

“So, the food is almost done. Just have a seat over there and I’ll be right out.”

Sydney nodded, a little confused and excited for this change of plans. She sat in the booth and noticed the speakers were playing The Teskey Brothers’ “Take My Heart.” She leaned back and closed her eyes letting the lyrics wash over her, her emotions stirring with that sweet ache.

“Take the time to notice what you really need, 

You’ll find it’s a little more simple, than what you thought before,

But I can say for certain that I’ve got more than I ever had before,

By remembering the little things that make my heart warm.

So take my heart and cut it into two,

After all the only thing missing from me was you,

You’re all I want, you’re all I need, you’re the air I breathe,

Cause after all the only thing missing from me was you.”

“Hey, are you good?” Carmy asked  approaching the booth with their plates.

Sydney sat up and cleared her throat.

“Yes, I’m good. I really like that song. Reminds me of-“

 “Otis Redding?”

“Yeah.”

Carm carefully placed the plates on the table.

“Well, speaking of throwbacks, I made-”

“Pork confit with onions and rhubarb!”

 “Yes, and after we’ll have Milk and Honey.

Sydney bit the inside of her mouth trying to absorb what seemed to be happening.  Carm muttered something about getting their drinks and went to the bar for their club sodas. Sydney remained mute, not knowing if she should ask him what this meant now or let it play out. “Don’t get ahead of yourself”, she admonished her heart.

He returned to the booth with their drinks and encouraged her to start, rubbing his chin as she put the first bite in her mouth.

“That’s it Carmy. Maybe even better than the first time,” Syd purred the pork melting on her tongue and some of her anxiety with it.

He blushed and began eating too.

“It is pretty good. Eleven Madison Park taught me a lot.”

The meal was mostly silent except for the occasional ejaculation over some element of the dish. Carmy couldn’t help gazing at Syd, taking in each detail, and rejoicing in the whole. The dip above her collar bone that rose and fell whenever she swallowed, made his head swim. Her lovely face was absolutely regal framed by her new box braids. Syd’s brown skin glowed in the candlelight and a heavenly citrus scent emanated from her. Whenever her eyes caught his obvious staring, he was too filled with gratitude to look away. Sydney’s eyes were soft and filled with kindness for this dear, lovestruck man. He looked helpless. In moments like this she remembered her capacity to build or obliterate him at will.  “Go with the flow” she reminded herself.

After they finished the main, Carmy took their plates and returned, with dessert, Milk and Honey. Syd lit up at the sight and when she tried it a wave of surprise flitted across her face.

"Is that mango? I didn't taste it at first, but then it like...bloomed at the back. Wow!"

"I thought it could use a Sydney twist. You always grab the mango lollipops off Sug's desk."

She resumed eating her dessert. Carm noticed everything about her. She'd played the Teskey Brothers, once or twice while they cleaned after a service, comparing them to Otis.

The Milk and Honey was devoured too soon and just as she wondered what else was on the agenda, Carmy took their bowls and returned with a package tied with twine. He set it in front of her, hands trembling, and sat a little further away than before. Syd perceiving his anxiety didn't raise any questions. She untied the string, removed the wrapping paper, revealing a red leather hand-bound notebook. The cover was engraved with her initials. On the first page was one of Carmy's drawings. It was a curbside view of The Bear. Several lined pages followed, then a drawing of the grapes in bone marrow broth. This alternating of lined pages and his pictures continued throughout the thick notebook. There were more pictures of their recipes, the various designs of her head scarves, and some were of her in different attitudes. In one she was leading expo with the confidence of Napoleon, and another was a portrait, her chin leaning on her hand, with a faraway expression in her large brown eyes. There were several others, so perceptive that Sydney felt naked. Adored. The final picture was surreal. It was a profile of Carmy's head the entirety of which was filled with Sydney wearing a hopeful smile and the scarf and shirt she'd worn her first day at The Beef.

She couldn't stop looking at it, her index finger tracing the lines.

"Sy-d" Carmen croaked his voice thick.

Breaking.

She looked up to find red-brimmed blue eyes searching hers.

"Come here" she breathed and no sooner than she blinked he was at her side.

"Syd" he tried again. Hyperventilating.

"Say more", she gently commanded smoothing his hair back before taking his hand in her lap.

This disarmed him, and he grinned in surprise. That was his line.

"Okay."

Breathe

"I want you Syd. I want to be with you.”

Breathe

“I want to do everything with you or not at all."

Then for the first time he wanted to say the words that had been a weapon for most of his life. They either were forced on him or yanked from him. His mother thought those words meant meekly submitting to her abuse. For Mikey it was cutting him off, so he wasn't exposed to his self-destruction. He never got to say it all. Claire believed it was part of a script. If he would only play his role and ignore who they were underneath, those words would become true enough.

Now, he had a new idea about those words, and they were wrapped up in this beautiful, talented, funny, tender, generous, stubborn, loyal, woman. His friend.

Suddenly they didn't hurt. He continued leaning to rest his forehead on hers.

"I love you."

Sydney blinked slowly as if in a trance, tears dropping to their joined hands.

Carm didn't move, but his face was filled with concern.

'Syd, are you-" he started to ask. Then he was spinning.

Sydney kissed him.

His neurons habitually used to process grief, anxiety, and small doses of happiness, trembled with the unusual amount of joy coursing through him.

Sydney was delirious. Her only thought was, he loves me.

Carmy couldn't close his eyes. The curve of her soft cheek so near his made him want to cry.

Then he did, for Sydney said,

"I love you, too."

[sturniholo]

early rise cafe 2 - matt sturniolo

in which matt’s summer job turns into something more

┊ ✫ ┊ ┊ ☾⋆ ┊ ⊹ ┊ ✯ ⋆ ┊

As the clock on the wall struck 9, you let out a breath. Tonight was your night to close, which was never your favorite. Due to how short-staffed you were, you were the only one closing.

After cleaning the counters and sweeping the floors, you untied your apron and set it on the counter. You took the band out of your hair, shaking your head as your hair fell. You made your way to the back, going to tell Rich goodbye.

You pushed open the door, and Rich entered your view. He had a piece of paper in his hand, his eyes studying it as his eyes moved up and down. His chin rested in his hand, eyebrows crinkled, making him look even deeper in thought. You let out a chuckle, making him look up from the paper and at you.

"What?"

"Nothing," you said as you shook your head. "Just wanted to tell you bye before I left." You leaned against the door frame, waiting for him to respond.

"Come here a second." He motioned toward the chair in front of him. You pushed yourself off of the wall and made your way over, taking a seat. He turned the paper around, letting you look at it. It was the application Matt turned in. "What's so special about this kid, Y/n?"

"What do you mean?"

"You never just beg me to give someone a job here. So, what's going on?"

You leaned back in your chair, trying to think of an appropriate answer. Why did you? "I don't know, I just..." He tilted his head at you, waiting for you to finish. "I don't know."

And you were telling the truth. You have never seen Matt before in your life, and you still don't really know him. Yet somehow you begged for an application like you'd known him your entire life.

Rich watched as you stared at the ground, deep in thought. He could tell you were confused by your actions as well. "Look, I can't just give him a position because you have the hots for him."

You looked up at him, slightly surprised by his words. "I don't have the hots for him. I don't even know him." He gave you a look. "Look, I promise there's nothing between us. I just saw him for the first time yesterday."

"Hmm, alright then."

"I swear. And based on his application, I think he'd be a perfect fit. I mean, he's worked with the public before."

"Yeah, at a grocery store," he said as he scanned the paper once more. "There's a big difference between that and working in a restaurant."

You let out a huff at his words. "I know, I know. But come on, he's just looking for a summer job, and you know how understaffed we are."

The two of you sat in silence, just looking at each other for a minute. He eventually let out a deep breath, leaning back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, I'll let him work here. But the second I see any lovey-dovey between the two of you, he's gone. Deal?"

You sat back up in your seat, a big smile on your face. He stuck his hand out, which you gladly took, shaking it. "Deal. Thank you, Rich. I promise you won't regret it." He gave you a smile before letting off your hand.

"Now get outta here. It's getting late."

"Right. Night, Rich." You stood up, making your way out of his office. You grabbed your apron off of the counter and headed towards the door. You made your way to your car, locking the door behind you.

Although it was late, you pulled out your phone and clicked Matt's contact. You began typing, a big grin on your face.

guess who got the job !!!

Within a few seconds, he had responded. 

matt

thank god i was starting to get worried

and thanks y/n, you don't know how much this means to me

no problem :)

he should be calling tomorrow to give you your schedule and all that

He hearted your message, which signaled the end of the conversation. You slid your phone back into your pocket, letting out a sigh. You started your car, the engine roaring as you turned the key. You backed out of your parking space, making your way back home.

┊ ✫ ┊ ┊ ☾⋆ ┊ ⊹ ┊ ✯ ⋆ ┊

a/n: i know this was short, but the next chapter will definitely be longer !!

tags: @jnkvivi @pjmpcyy @raysmayhem-72 @mattscurlygirly @patscorner @chrattstromboli @junnniiieee07 @imwetforyourmom @asturniolos @unbruisable

[seventeenlovesthree]

AU Prompt Mixes - Taichi/Koushirou - (Coffee) Shop AU - Friends to Lovers

Summary: Best friends usually compliment each other on their clothes and make coffee art shaped like hearts for each other... Right?

Word count: 300

(One day I might turn this idea into a full-fledged fic. Maybe...)

„The apron suits you surprisingly well.”

The grimace Taichi just pulled in response to that “compliment” had probably been capable of turning even the sweetest cup of tea sour – at least it looked like that to Koushirou.

“Is that what it’s come to?”, Taichi whined dramatically, throwing a towel onto the bartender table before turning around to put some dirty coffee cups away. “You’re making fun of me like that, rich kid?!”

“I am not a rich kid,” Koushirou protested, watching his best friend continuing to (pretend to) give him the cold shoulder. Since his engineering classes had ended, he had decided to pay him a visit at his new part time job at a coffee shop near their university.

“Yeah, sure, sorry that we can’t all be as smart as you, making our own phone applications by 21…”

“It’s still in the beta phase, you know that.” The redhead shook his head. “Plus, it’s your bitterness that keeps you from accepting money anyway, so I was suggesting taking a job on the side...” The sporty kid from back then didn’t like feeling inferior to the nerd who had grown up more academically successful...

“I know, silly, I’m just joking!”

This time he showed him a smile – a genuine one. Contagious even. Just as it had always been. Koushirou returned it automatically.

“Just watch me catching up to you once I’ve made my first millions here, heh…”

“And how do you plan on doing tha-“

He stopped in his tracks as Taichi set down a cup of cappuccino in front of him. Causing him to raise his eyebrows.

“… Is that a heart?”

“I’ll become a sensational coffee artist, that’s how”, Taichi grinned, leaning closer over the table. “Besides… It’s for the apron comment. Red suits your cheeks surprisingly well.”

[itcareerblogs]

Top 10 In- Demand Tech Jobs in 2025

Technology is growing faster than ever, and so is the need for skilled professionals in the field. From artificial intelligence to cloud computing, businesses are looking for experts who can keep up with the latest advancements. These tech jobs not only pay well but also offer great career growth and exciting challenges.

In this blog, we’ll look at the top 10 tech jobs that are in high demand today. Whether you’re starting your career or thinking of learning new skills, these jobs can help you plan a bright future in the tech world.

1. AI and Machine Learning Specialists

Artificial Intelligence (AI)  and Machine Learning are changing the game by helping machines learn and improve on their own without needing step-by-step instructions. They’re being used in many areas, like chatbots, spotting fraud, and predicting trends.

Key Skills: Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, data analysis, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP).

Industries Hiring: Healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing.

Career Tip: Keep up with AI and machine learning by working on projects and getting an AI certification. Joining AI hackathons helps you learn and meet others in the field.

2. Data Scientists

Data scientists work with large sets of data to find patterns, trends, and useful insights that help businesses make smart decisions. They play a key role in everything from personalized marketing to predicting health outcomes.

Key Skills: Data visualization, statistical analysis, R, Python, SQL, and data mining.

Industries Hiring: E-commerce, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals.

Career Tip: Work with real-world data and build a strong portfolio to showcase your skills. Earning certifications in data science tools can help you stand out.

3. Cloud Computing Engineers: These professionals create and manage cloud systems that allow businesses to store data and run apps without needing physical servers, making operations more efficient.

Key Skills: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), DevOps, and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).

Industries Hiring: IT services, startups, and enterprises undergoing digital transformation.

Career Tip: Get certified in cloud platforms like AWS (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect).

4. Cybersecurity Experts

Cybersecurity professionals protect companies from data breaches, malware, and other online threats. As remote work grows, keeping digital information safe is more crucial than ever.

Key Skills: Ethical hacking, penetration testing, risk management, and cybersecurity tools.

Industries Hiring: Banking, IT, and government agencies.

Career Tip: Stay updated on new cybersecurity threats and trends. Certifications like CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) or CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) can help you advance in your career.

5. Full-Stack Developers

Full-stack developers are skilled programmers who can work on both the front-end (what users see) and the back-end (server and database) of web applications.

Key Skills: JavaScript, React, Node.js, HTML/CSS, and APIs.

Industries Hiring: Tech startups, e-commerce, and digital media.

Career Tip: Create a strong GitHub profile with projects that highlight your full-stack skills. Learn popular frameworks like React Native to expand into mobile app development.

6. DevOps Engineers

DevOps engineers help make software faster and more reliable by connecting development and operations teams. They streamline the process for quicker deployments.

Key Skills: CI/CD pipelines, automation tools, scripting, and system administration.

Industries Hiring: SaaS companies, cloud service providers, and enterprise IT.

Career Tip: Earn key tools like Jenkins, Ansible, and Kubernetes, and develop scripting skills in languages like Bash or Python. Earning a DevOps certification is a plus and can enhance your expertise in the field.

7. Blockchain Developers

They build secure, transparent, and unchangeable systems. Blockchain is not just for cryptocurrencies; it’s also used in tracking supply chains, managing healthcare records, and even in voting systems.

Key Skills: Solidity, Ethereum, smart contracts, cryptography, and DApp development.

Industries Hiring: Fintech, logistics, and healthcare.

Career Tip: Create and share your own blockchain projects to show your skills. Joining blockchain communities can help you learn more and connect with others in the field.

8. Robotics Engineers

Robotics engineers design, build, and program robots to do tasks faster or safer than humans. Their work is especially important in industries like manufacturing and healthcare.

Key Skills: Programming (C++, Python), robotics process automation (RPA), and mechanical engineering.

Industries Hiring: Automotive, healthcare, and logistics.

Career Tip: Stay updated on new trends like self-driving cars and AI in robotics.

9. Internet of Things (IoT) Specialists

IoT specialists work on systems that connect devices to the internet, allowing them to communicate and be controlled easily. This is crucial for creating smart cities, homes, and industries.

Key Skills: Embedded systems, wireless communication protocols, data analytics, and IoT platforms.

Industries Hiring: Consumer electronics, automotive, and smart city projects.

Career Tip: Create IoT prototypes and learn to use platforms like AWS IoT or Microsoft Azure IoT. Stay updated on 5G technology and edge computing trends.

10. Product Managers

Product managers oversee the development of products, from idea to launch, making sure they are both technically possible and meet market demands. They connect technical teams with business stakeholders.

Key Skills: Agile methodologies, market research, UX design, and project management.

Industries Hiring: Software development, e-commerce, and SaaS companies.

Career Tip: Work on improving your communication and leadership skills. Getting certifications like PMP (Project Management Professional) or CSPO (Certified Scrum Product Owner) can help you advance.

Importance of Upskilling in the Tech Industry

Stay Up-to-Date: Technology changes fast, and learning new skills helps you keep up with the latest trends and tools.

Grow in Your Career: By learning new skills, you open doors to better job opportunities and promotions.

Earn a Higher Salary: The more skills you have, the more valuable you are to employers, which can lead to higher-paying jobs.

Feel More Confident: Learning new things makes you feel more prepared and ready to take on tougher tasks.

Adapt to Changes: Technology keeps evolving, and upskilling helps you stay flexible and ready for any new changes in the industry.

Top Companies Hiring for These Roles

Global Tech Giants: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and IBM.

Startups: Fintech, health tech, and AI-based startups are often at the forefront of innovation.

Consulting Firms: Companies like Accenture, Deloitte, and PwC increasingly seek tech talent.

In conclusion,  the tech world is constantly changing, and staying updated is key to having a successful career. In 2025, jobs in fields like AI, cybersecurity, data science, and software development will be in high demand. By learning the right skills and keeping up with new trends, you can prepare yourself for these exciting roles. Whether you're just starting or looking to improve your skills, the tech industry offers many opportunities for growth and success.

[artichokefunction]

the mission is simple. that's a lie. this mission is really easy to fuck up, because it's so reliant on timing. there are three factors here within your control; yourself, your agent, and the acorn. you need to get acorn into this building's server room, so that she can do her job, and steal the financial documents she needs from this organization. the agent's job is to make sure you two don't get shot at, and your job is to make sure nothing explodes. simple. not simple at all, really. but you can do this. you've got this. probably. whatever.

you've just seen the agent off, it's gone in through the vents, and you and acorn are going in through the rotating glass doors at the front of the building, like fools. not like fools. this is part of the plan. you are undercover, as software specialists, here to fix the mysterious security bug that showed up in their financial database recently. the one that you planted. but they don't know that. you did a pretty good job with that one, honestly, but there's only so much you can do remotely without getting caught. much easier to do damage up and close. also much easier to get caught. fuck. you aren't getting caught, right now, because you don't look like scary hackers. you look like somewhat gay software engineers, which is mostly true. you don't actually know what degree acorn has. it might be accounting??? you forgot to ask, and now is not the time. but it would explain why she's so good at the financial end of the business. you walk up to the front desk, and you try to act harmlessly nervous, like you're supposed to be here, you just got lost. and it works, the receptionist gives you the keycard you need. you thank her, and you follow the acorn into the big fancy elevator. the ride is silent, but the acorn glances at you several times, like she wants to go over the mission plan. she doesn't, because she knows how easy it is to install cameras in buildings like this.

the elevator ride is long enough, it gives you a moment to breathe. then it comes to a very jarring stop, slams your jaw into place all wrong. you would think they'd have good control systems in a building this fancy and high-budget. flashy but ineffective. that checks out with what you know about their software infrastructure, honestly. that's a good sign for this whole mission. you walk down the hallway, and you remember to look nervous and ordinary, and the acorn follows you. a guard points you to the server room you need. they look distracted, honestly. like they need a smoke or something. acorn goes and plugs her laptop into the first server she sees, and sits down on the floor to start working. you're a bit more subtle, you think. or, that's your part of the job. to remember things like this. with her down low like that, there's one camera to be concerned with. you stick to the wall, just about out of its view, you think, and you reach up to stick an interruptor on. the ceilings are low as hell in here, cramped and buzzing little space, full of beautiful data. you sit down next to the acorn, and you pull out your laptop to look like you're doing your 'job', and you intercept the security camera feed. you grab the latest clip, of the two of you sitting peacefully, and you loop it. nothing out of the ordinary. even the timestamp is displaying as normal. you're so good at this. nothing is exploding. hoorah. oh, you should tell the acorn that. you give her a thumbs up, all clear, and she shuffles herself deeper into the maze of servers. you launch an application to keep an eye on all the data moving in and out of this server room. ach, no wait that's way too much to process at once, you can't think that fast. you filter out all the redundant boring stuff. ok that's readable. now you can see when a server tries to announce that it's being read/modified, and catch the message before it gets out. you also catch the automatic security cam refresh, and make sure it continues to loop the footage of you two acting unsuspicious. you are holding down the fort. you are doing a good job. you are not getting distracted. you wonder what the agent's up to. you open up two separate new encrypted channels, to make it as hard as possible for anyone to spot what you're doing, and then you use one to ping the agent for its location. turns out it's right above you, just chilling in the vents up there. vibes, okay. nothing has gone wrong yet. you don't want to get complacent. you use your second empty channel to get access to the cameras in the hallways just outside. it's a finicky job, but you do get in. just in time, actually. the guards shift has changed, and the new guy seems more attentive then the last one. that's not ideal for you. you try your cam footage looping trick again. it's a bit tricky, because you don't have any interruptors out there, you need to use the one in-point you have to the cam network to get to the ones you want. oh wait shit. have you got it. yes you have. epic. epic. okay. here's the acorn. she's shaking your shoulder gently to get your attention. you got absorbed in your work. that happens a lot. she gives you a thumbs up, along with her normal somewhat blank stare.

you want to make everything look smooth and not obviously weird as you leave. so you tell her to sit next to you again before you stop the footage loop on this camera. perfect. not perfect, she's on the other side of you now. whatever, they probably won't notice. maybe. time to get out of here. you get up and go out the door and the acorn follows. that guard is dead. one shot to the head. acorn latches onto your arm when she sees the body. you turn around to look at the vent just above the door and the agent is there, unscrewing the silencer from its pistol. it gives you a thumbs up. you try not to laugh at that.

[time to get going] you say, one of the only things you've said aloud this mission, somehow. you walk acorn over to the elevator. she still looks freaked out. you want to distract her.

[you should dye your hair again, the green looked nice]

[Oh! Thank you. Uhh, I've been meaning to, but my landlady got mad at me the last time I got dye all over the shower. I've also been busy, bleaching it is such a pain...]

the two of you chat about hair colors as you return the keycard to the front desk, and you exit the building without incident. mission complete, almost, very nearly. you have your laptop open, disconnected from everything but the camera system. you're just waiting on the agent. where is it. where is it. oh god where THERE perfect okay. you turn off the looping video in the hall with the body and you disconnect from the buildings network and the agent is in the truck safe and sound and you drive away just as an alarm starts going off inside the building. mission success. ohhh my god. you laugh, and drum your hands against the steering wheel. you take a route that'll make you hard to track, while the acorn thinks out loud about her next steps, data processing and communicating with clients and maybe also blackmail, stuff of that nature. you can see the agent in the back, cleaning its guns. you're all good. mission success.

[superaznchick]

i had a whole rant typed out like 2 days ago that i made while emotional but it will rot in my drafts forever now because i have now spent the required amount of time in the timeout corner and properly digested my emotions to come back and make a fresh new post

idk what corporate girly out there slaving in front of a laptop needs to hear this AGAIN, because i certainly have heard this before but subconsciously dismissed it because Surely That Won't Happen To I, but it DID so i am now yelling at you from the other side

DONT FUCKING TRUST YOUR MANAGER!!!!!!!!! the nuance here is that YES they can be nice, and they can 100% be the best person ever, and they might not even consciously manipulate you. but you are never safe from subconscious manipulation or just straight up incompetence.

if your manager does their job well, it means you are manipulated. BUT if they do their job BAD, you STILL get manipulated!! this is because even if they are incompetent, you will always end up bridging the gap for their incompetence and it will weigh you down and you will NEVER get credit for your work. in fact, you are in danger on both ends of the spectrum - if you manager is good, they'll take credit for your work. if your manager is bad, they'll STILL take credit for your work AND make you suffer for it because they won't even have the skills at least get you the reward you deserve.

ive spent the last 3 years under my do-nothing manager always giving him the benefit of the doubt, "oh he's just a silly lil guy this is his first management job he doesnt know what hes doing" type shit, and i have nothing but stress and resentment to show for it.

i have LITERALLY been DOING HIS JOB FOR HIM. i revamped our meetings, i put sprint processes in place, i drew our team scope/borders and weighed in on who should staff projects. and on TOP of that i did tech lead and regular ic work. i was doing both my job and at least 50% of his because im not a fucking manager and theres only so much i can do.

but all this time my actual skill set as an engineer is deteriorating because ive been begging for mentorshop/coaching since day one i joined the team, which is 100% the manager's job to coach and level up their engineers, but these needs were completely ignored in favor of me trying to get this dumb fucking team together because my manager literally does nothing. he doesn't do his fucking job, and he gets away with it because he has high soft skill!!!! his boss likes him!!! so he will not be punished!!!!!!

i on the other hand am severely punished because i have revealed my hand as a do-all "superstar", im the one that gets 3 projects with the same deadline that i have to do all by myself, im the one thats expected to do all my work and more AND i am the one that takes the brunt of flack when external teams are ultimately disappointed that the deadlines are not met. i get no protection from any of this shit because my manager is fucking incompetent and refuses to step up. whether he consciously or subconsciously does this DOES NOT MATTER!!!! you will ALWAYS eat it at the bottom line!!!

treat your manager like your enemy, never trust them. size them up in your first few 1:1s to see how much they can do for you in terms of your career. if they are NOT delivering results within the first 2-3 months, CLOCK OUT!!!!!! decenter work from your life, shut the laptop at 5pm sharp, put in your bare minimum to not get canned and turn your brain off from all work problems. sometimes the corporate grind is worth it but ONLY if you have someone competent managing you and they are smart enough to recognize that engineers under them need reward and respect to be retained. if they won't or can't retain you, just let it happen!!!! dont overextend yourself it's never worth it

obv im yelling this from my jail cell as a software engineer so idk how much of this is applicable to other fields, but that's my two cents. i have spent way too much time being upset and angry these last few weeks to not vent about it. if this applies to you, pls save yourself the heartache and learn the skill of decentering work for when it comes in handy. im not advocating for indiscriminate quiet quitting bc that can actually be harmful to your financials, but the art of quiet quitting should still be mastered for when the appropriate time arises. use your discretion

[umichenginabroad]

Week 2: Housing Edition

Ciao, 

It’s been another wonderful week in Sorrento! It's heating up outside, I’m settling into a routine, and classes are getting real. 

For this post, I’m going to focus on housing as it was a point of confusion for me when learning about the program. After being accepted into the program, we filled out a separate application for Sant’Anna and listed preferences for the three housing options: Sant’Anna dorms, off-campus shared apartments, or off-campus residence hall with a meal plan (for an extra fee). The Sant’Anna dorms are upstairs from the classrooms, the apartments are spread throughout Sorrento within a 20 minute walk to class, and the off-campus residence hall is 25 minutes from Sant’Anna institute. 

For my preference, I listed the dorms as top, the shared apartments as my second, and the residence hall last. I ended up getting placed in a shared apartment with three other girls (two double rooms), but it has worked out great as I am living right above a grocery store!

(Picture of Conad City store front with text saying "My Apartment" and an arrow pointing above the store)

Overall, I really enjoy apartment life. I’m a 2 minute walk from the main street (Corso Italia), 12 minutes from the institute for class, and 15 minutes from the free beach (my most frequented stop). 

As for the apartment itself, the rooms are a little funky as both bedrooms have two single beds, but the two beds are pushed together in one room and the other room is bunk beds (I got the bottom bunk). We share one bathroom for the four of us and it's fairly spacious. The kitchen is small but functional, with the cutest tile backsplash. Counterspace is lacking, but it is otherwise fully equipped with burners, convection oven, toaster, microwave, dishwasher, and freestanding fridge and freezer combo. The washing machine is also in the kitchen, which has created a few space issues as it is a galley kitchen but me and my roommates have figured it out. 

(Picture of dining room and kitchen of my apartment)

I honestly don’t have any real complaints about the apartment; the only reason I still wish I had been placed in dorms is the 2 minute commute to the beach! Obviously 15 minutes isn’t bad, but it's hard to beat being just up a set of stairs from the Mediterranean sea!! 

All in all, the program does a great job with housing and you can’t really go wrong with any of the options!

Marika Ruppart

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering in Sorrento, Italy

[bitletsanddrabbles]

Fic: A Perfectly Normal Chrismas

This is about the only instance ever in which I will use name mashing, because it is 100% applicable.

Back during the pandemic @tuesdayintheservantshall wanted an Introvert Thomas/Extrovert Chris Modern AU piece. My retail frazzled essential worker brain latched onto the chance for therapy was happy to oblige. I did another for Valentine's.

I always wanted to do one for Christmas, to sort of round out the set, but there didn't feel like there was enough progression from there to V-Day, and then if I waited until the next Christmas the pandemic would be over.

..."over"...

It's been eating at me, though, so I finally decided you know what? Why not? Let's get the boys out of the pandemic zone and into the annual jab zone!

And so I wrote this. Once again making Thomas suffer my personal brand of low-key, non-combat PTSD.

Merry Chrismas, everyone.

-

-

Thomas pulled into his parking spot, applied the break, killed the engine, and pulled out his phone. I’m home. Turn off the Christmas music. With the pandemic over, or as over as it ever would be, people were shopping again. While it might have been a bit slower than years past, and definitely slow enough that retailers where bemoaning the lack of sales, it was definitely closer to the normal hustle and bustle than the previous year had been, which meant Thomas wanted to shoot something. Maybe a customer. Maybe himself. Maybe just the display radios in the electronics department which someone insisted on having blare All Christmas Music All The Time. He’d lose his job for destroying merchandise, he was certain, but it would be worth it.

Of course, given that he didn’t hunt or stalk at all, he didn’t own a gun, but that was a minor detail.

Chris, being free from the curse of retail, didn’t have to put up with it. Given that his company was still allowing their employees to work from home three out of five days a week (although now it was from fear of a strike rather than fear of COVID) , he took the opportunity to listen to Christmas music whenever he was at home, which meant Thomas had to warn him before he got to the flat if he didn’t want to have his ears gouged out.

It’s safe!

With a sigh, Thomas opened the door and climbed out of the car. At least he no longer felt the need to have a smoke before going into the flat. Then again, it was Christmas Eve and Chris had worked from home. Perhaps it would have been wise to have a bracing fag before he went up. He paused half way up the stairs, considering, then shook his head and kept going. If he stopped now, Chris would just worry.

He reached the door and eyed it, pondering for a moment. On a whim, he tried to doorknob. He was not exactly shocked to find it unlocked. He pushed it open and carefully stepped inside.

The Christmas lights had gone up the first week of December. The tree was artificial, much to Chris’s dismay, but there was no way to find a real one small enough for the flat. That was actually a good thing, in the end, because it had gone up the second week and had been steadily gaining decorations ever since. Thomas had even gotten to add a few. The lights around the flat - mostly across the tops of the doors and along the larger pieces of furniture, like the entertainment center - had gone up in increments. There was only one major change since Thomas had left that morning, and that was Chris.

The other man stood in front of the Christmas tree, his arms outstretched, showing off his newest bathrobe. It was green with printed ‘garland’ and, of all things, real, blinking lights. He also had a bow on top of his head. “Welcome home, oh love of my life! Merry Christmas!”

“Christmas isn’t until tomorrow, Chris,” Thomas informed him, shaking his head, although he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t even bother wondering if the other man was wearing boxers under that robe. By now he knew the answer. He shrugged out of his coat and hung it up. “And please tell me that you didn’t get me one of those robes as well.” They still had the matching heart robes from Valentine’s day, which Thomas would at least admit were warm and comfortable.

“Well it’s a good thing the answer’s ‘no’ or that would have broken my heart,” Chris scoffed. “Don’t worry. I know you better than that.”

“Oh good.”

The other man’s expression turned rakish. “No, this is just the wrapping for your real Christmas present.”

Thomas paused, half way through pulling his scarf off, then finished the motion and hung it up with the coat. On the one hand, it was a perfectly Chris move. On the other hand, he’d just gotten home and was still tired and hungry and he could smell meat of some sort, which means there was dinner to be had. Turning, he favored the other man with a smirk. “Really? You plan on staying right like that until tomorrow morning, then?”

The other man gave him a cagey look. “Well, I was thinking that you could open one present tonight…”

Still smirking, Thomas turned and walked into the kitchen. “Oh no, I couldn’t do that,” he protested. “It would break tradition. Don’t want bad luck on Christmas.” What passed for their dining table had an actual table cloth on it (Thomas hadn’t known they owned one. It must be new.), was already set, and had a candle waiting to be lit in the center. He inhaled appreciatively. “Dinner smells good, though. What did you make?”

“Cornish game hens,” Chris replied, following Thomas into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around him from behind. He rested his chin on his lover’s shoulder and whined, “But you aren’t really going to make me wait until tomorrow, are you?”

“I’m hungry, Chris.” The proclamation was delivered in Thomas’s most brisk, professional tone. “You should know better than to expect me to do anything before food.”

Chris laughed, the sound warm in Thomas’s ear. “Alright, alright! But after…?”

“After,” Thomas twisted around until he was facing Chris and could wrap his own arms around the other man’s waist, “we can watch a movie or something.”

For a moment they just looked at each other, Chris obviously debating how serious Thomas was. He finally pouted. “I am not wearing this thing until dawn.”

Thomas just grinned at him. “Sorry, love, but Christmas doesn’t start until midnight. You’re just going to have to wait.”

[fullstackmasters01]

Python FullStack Developer Jobs

Introduction :

A Python full-stack developer is a professional who has expertise in both front-end and back-end development using Python as their primary programming language. This means they are skilled in building web applications from the user interface to the server-side logic and the database. Here’s some information about Python full-stack developer jobs.

Job Responsibilities:

Front-End Development: Python full-stack developers are responsible for creating and maintaining the user interface of a web application. This involves using front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and various frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js.

Back-End Development: They also work on the server-side of the application, managing databases, handling HTTP requests, and building the application’s logic. Python, along with frameworks like Django, Flask, or Fast API, is commonly used for back-end development.

Database Management: Full-stack developers often work with databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, or NoSQL databases like MongoDB to store and retrieve data.

API Development: Creating and maintaining APIs for communication between the front-end and back-end systems is a crucial part of the job. RESTful and Graph QL APIs are commonly used.

Testing and Debugging: Full-stack developers are responsible for testing and debugging their code to ensure the application’s functionality and security.

Version Control: Using version control systems like Git to track changes and collaborate with other developers.

Deployment and DevOps: Deploying web applications on servers, configuring server environments, and implementing continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.

Security: Ensuring the application is secure by implementing best practices and security measures to protect against common vulnerabilities.

Skills and Qualifications:

To excel in a Python full-stack developer role, you should have the following skills and qualifications:

Proficiency in Python programming.

Strong knowledge of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and frameworks.

Expertise in back-end development using Python and relevant web frameworks.

Experience with databases and data modeling.

Knowledge of version control systems (e.g., Git).

Familiarity with web servers and deployment.

Understanding of web security and best practices.

Problem-solving and debugging skills.

Collaboration and teamwork.

Continuous learning and staying up to date with the latest technologies and trends.

Job Opportunities:

Python full-stack developers are in demand in various industries, including web development agencies, e-commerce companies, startups, and large enterprises. Job titles you might come across include Full-Stack Developer, Python Developer, Web Developer, or Software Engineer.

The job market for Python full-stack developers is generally favorable, and these professionals can expect competitive salaries, particularly with experience and a strong skill set. Many companies appreciate the versatility of full-stack developers who can work on both the front-end and back-end aspects of their web applications.

To find Python full-stack developer job opportunities, you can check job boards, company career pages, and professional networking sites like LinkedIn. Additionally, you can work with recruitment agencies specializing in tech roles or attend tech job fairs and conferences to network with potential employers.

Python full stack developer jobs offer a range of advantages to those who pursue them. Here are some of the key advantages of working as a Python full stack developer:

Versatility: Python is a versatile programming language, and as a full stack developer, you can work on both front-end and back-end development, as well as other aspects of web development. This versatility allows you to work on a wide range of projects and tasks.

High demand: Python is one of the most popular programming languages, and there is a strong demand for Python full stack developers. This high demand leads to ample job opportunities and competitive salaries.

Job security: With the increasing reliance on web and mobile applications, the demand for full stack developers is expected to remain high. This job security provides a sense of stability and long-term career prospects.

Wide skill set: As a full stack developer, you gain expertise in various technologies and frameworks for both front-end and back-end development, including Django, Flask, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and more. This wide skill set makes you a valuable asset to any development team.

Collaboration: Full stack developers often work closely with both front-end and back-end teams, fostering collaboration and communication within the development process. This can lead to a more holistic understanding of projects and better teamwork.

Problem-solving: Full stack developers often encounter challenges that require them to think critically and solve complex problems. This aspect of the job can be intellectually stimulating and rewarding.

Learning opportunities: The tech industry is constantly evolving, and full stack developers have the opportunity to continually learn and adapt to new technologies and tools. This can be personally fulfilling for those who enjoy ongoing learning.

Competitive salaries: Python full stack developers are typically well-compensated due to their valuable skills and the high demand for their expertise. Salaries can vary based on experience, location, and the specific organization.

Entrepreneurial opportunities: With the knowledge and skills gained as a full stack developer, you can also consider creating your own web-based projects or startup ventures. Python’s ease of use and strong community support can be particularly beneficial in entrepreneurial endeavors.

Remote work options: Many organizations offer remote work opportunities for full stack developers, allowing for greater flexibility in terms of where you work. This can be especially appealing to those who prefer a remote or freelance lifestyle.

Open-source community: Python has a vibrant and active open-source community, which means you can easily access a wealth of libraries, frameworks, and resources to enhance your development projects.

Career growth: As you gain experience and expertise, you can advance in your career and explore specialized roles or leadership positions within development teams or organizations.

Conclusion:

  Python full stack developer jobs offer a combination of technical skills, career stability, and a range of opportunities in the tech industry. If you enjoy working on both front-end and back-end aspects of web development and solving complex problems, this career path can be a rewarding choice.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you like the article if you want to take Full stack master's course from our Institute, please attend our live demo sessions or contact us: +918464844555 providing you with the best Online Full Stack Developer Course in Hyderabad with an affordable course fee structure.

[quickway-infosystems1]

Top WordPress Development Companies in 2023

Want to create an online persona for yourself or your company? Well, the best way to go forward is with a brand-new website that can showcase your company, its offerings, and what you stand for. Websites created by the top WordPress development companies reach far and wide to target audiences around the world and attract lots of organic traffic, increasing the business’ sales and revenue.

You know that you need to build a website, and you decide to make it on WordPress. But you may not know much about WordPress, and there are many individual developers and agencies available for WordPress development.

These are enough to confuse you when you are to select a WordPress development company, but as you have reached this blog, do not worry.

We will tell you how you can hire a WordPress development company in India for your business. Stay tuned as we will start our discussion with a brief on WordPress.

1. QuickWay InfoSystems

In the world of WordPress, they are one of the top WordPress development companies. They offer services around the globe, which is the most important thing. QWI is a well-known Software Development company, with Services such as Web Development, Android App Development, iOS App Development, CMS Development, React Native App Development, & other servides too.

They provide high-quality, standard coding services that are convenient for clients.

They have more than 7+ years of experience with WordPress. They have completed over 500+ projects in different industries such as entertainment, art, music, marketplace development, and the Restaurants industry.

Expertise In: WordPress Development, Web Application Development, Mobile Application Development, UI/UX Design, Front-end Development, Microsoft Development.

2. Seahawk Media

Having worked with over 100+ brands and managed WordPress for them, Seahawk has delivered exceptional WordPress services. It is trusted by top web hosts for its dedicated retention and support services that prevent customer churn.

Expertise In: WordPress Development, Custom Web design, WordPress White Label, Maintenance & Support, Migration Services, SEO & Marketing

3. MultiDots

They are a top WordPress developer and support content producers as well as digital agencies in reaching their goals.

Multidots has developed multi-platform WordPress solutions and advanced WordPress technology for global corporate brands such as Storyful (NewsCorp Venture), Accenture, and MIT.

Expertise In: WordPress Development, WordPress Migration, WordPress VIP Migration

4. Krify

Krify is a leading WordPress development company that can help transform your business by offering innovative, high-quality, and cost-effective website development services. With a team of expert developers, designers, and project managers, Krify can provide you with bespoke software solutions that cater to your unique needs.

Expertise In: WordPress Website Development, WordPress Migration, eCommerce WordPress website development, informative website development, PHP Website Development.

5. Uplers

Uplers has well-known website development professionals, and their current customers only trust them since they offer their customers fantastic jobs developing websites. More than 500 agencies are available to serve their offerings.

Expertise In: WordPress Development, Hubspot Development, SEO Services, SEM Services, Email Marketing.

6. rtCamp Solutions

rtCamp Solutions is a reliable corporate WordPress solution. Millions of people reach out to them every day through their unique engineering solutions for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and household brands.

Expertise In: WordPress Development, Digital Publishing, Digital Marketing, eCommerce Development.

7. ColorWhistle

ColorWhistle offers the best digital agency services. They are focused on creating best-in-class solutions to benefit your website in many ways and help you outperform the competition.

Expertise In: WordPress Development, Web Design Services, Web Development Services, Digital Marketing Services.

8. Elsner Technologies

Elsner Technologies is a company that develops software for web and mobile. The company is known for its ability to provide 100% customized technical solutions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and a track record of 100% year after year.

Expertise In: Web Development, Mobile App Development, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Application Development.

9. Hidden Brains

Hidden Brains, a leading WordPress development company, is located in India. They offer easy-to-use WordPress solutions that are easy to configure, publish, and manage. Hidden Brains has created WordPress websites for clients from 39 different industries around the globe. Its greatest asset is its work. Their clients span more than 200 countries.

Expertise In: Web Application Development, Mobile Application Development, UI/UX Design, Front-end Development, Microsoft Development.

10. IndiaNIC

It is one of the first companies to offer offshore web and mobile app development services. With web and mobile as its core strengths, it has assisted clients in designing and developing numerous attractive stores, as well as bringing them to market via effective and engaging websites.

Expertise In: Custom Web Development, Mobile App Development These 2 are their main services

Conclusion

Building a WordPress website can be daunting, no matter how important it is to your business's growth or to drawing attention to a worthy cause. Hire WordPress developers who can help you shine with fresh ideas and technical expertise. There are many companies available to meet your needs and budget.

[ushamartinuniversity]

What is BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application)? What’s the scope of it?

With the advent of the digital age, computers have become omnipresent, from apps and websites on mobiles to smart devices and virtual assistants. There is the magic of computer programs working behind it all, and the people creating and maintaining them are in top demand. If you are someone who is fascinated to know how technology functions and wishes to create a secure and engaging career in the IT sector, then the BCA course is ideal for you.

Among the finest institutions to follow this path is Usha Martin University, situated at the center of Jharkhand. Famous for its contemporary education system, experiential learning style, and welcoming environment for students, the university has a well-designed Bachelor of Computer Application program that provides students with the appropriate skills and confidence to enter the professional world.

What is the BCA Course?

The BCA is a three-year undergraduate course. The program is for those who are eager to get deeper into the information technology sector. The curriculum covers various subjects, including programming languages, software development, web design, networking, database management, cloud computing, and data analytics. It teaches students the how and why of a computer application, ranging from the back-end codes to the front-end user interface.

The course of BCA is a mirror image of a B.Tech in Computer Science but with greater emphasis on software development and application development compared to hardware. It’s perfect for students who are more interested in coding programs, developing apps, creating real-life technology solutions, and designing new digital tools.

Subjects Covered in the BCA Program

The Bachelor of Computer Application course is meant to develop your IT skills gradually. Some of the topics covered in the three years are

Computer Fundamentals

Programming in C, C++, Java, and Python

Data Structures

Web Technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP)

Database Management System (DBMS)

Operating Systems

Computer Networks

Software Engineering

Mobile Application Development

Artificial Intelligence

Cloud Computing

Due to course details like these, students have in-depth knowledge and can fit into different profiles in the IT sector.

BCA Course Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have done their 10+2 from an accredited board with math as a required subject.

They should have at least 50% marks in their higher secondary education.

BCA Course Duration

The duration of the BCA course is three years, broken up into six semesters at Usha Martin University.

Career Prospects After BCA

BCA provides an entry to many varied career opportunities in the field of IT. Some of the sought-after jobs that BCA graduates can pursue are

Software Developer

Web Developer

Mobile App Developer

System Analyst

Database Administrator

Network Engineer

IT Support Specialist

Data Analyst

UI/UX Designer

Digital Marketing Executive (with technical skills)

With experience and additional education, many students even end up becoming project managers, product developers, and startup entrepreneurs. The world’s your limit if you’re dedicated and passionate.

Scope of the BCA Course

The scope of a Bachelor of Computer Application is huge and ever-expanding. With the growth of digital transformation in every sector—banking, education, healthcare, retail, media—there is a massive need for competent IT professionals.

Additionally, students who have earned the BCA can also opt for further studies such as MCA (Master of Computer Application), MBA in IT, or specialized data science, cloud computing, ethical hacking, or artificial intelligence certifications.

Remote and freelancing job opportunities are also on the rise, particularly for jobs such as web development, software testing, or mobile application development. BCA graduates can also make good money by working on freelance projects or opening their own computer application ventures.

BCA Course in Jharkhand—An Emerging Hub of IT Education

Jharkhand is developing very fast with regard to education and infrastructure facilities. The BCA program in Jharkhand is becoming popular among students who desire quality education near their home. Usha Martin University is leading the change by providing standard education at a reasonable price.

With increasing numbers of companies setting up offices in Ranchi and adjoining cities and the development of IT parks and technology hubs, students of Usha Martin University are in the correct location at the correct time. They have the potential to fully utilize internships, industry visits, job fairs, and startup events.

Why Study at Usha Martin University for the BCA course?

In case you plan to take the BCA course in Jharkhand, then Usha Martin University (UMU) is a must-consider option. Here’s why:

Industry-Specific Syllabus: Usha Martin University regularly revises its syllabus based on the latest requirements of the industry. The course curriculum for the BCA course is in line with the current trends of the IT sector. The students do not just learn general programming but also advanced topics like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity.

Experienced Faculty: The university has a team of experienced professors and industry professionals who guide students at every step. Because of course details explained by these mentors, students gain a strong foundation and practical understanding.

Hands-on Learning: Theory alone isn’t enough in the field of computer science. Usha Martin University provides students with plenty of opportunities for hands-on experience through lab sessions, projects, internships, and workshops. This builds their problem-solving skills and prepares them for real jobs.

State-of-the-Art Infrastructure: UMU has advanced computer laboratories, intelligent classrooms, and an e-library. With high-speed internet access and the most advanced software tools, students can quickly rehearse and develop their own computer application projects.

Placement Support: The university is tied up with leading IT companies. Proper training for resume preparation, interviewing, and mock interviews is provided to the students. Many students secure jobs in well-known tech firms, startups, and multinationals every year.

Conclusion

In short, the BCA course is the right choice for students who have a passion for computers, enjoy problem-solving, and wish to establish a prosperous career in the fast-evolving world of technology. The Bachelor of Computer Application is more than a degree; it’s a ticket to exciting professions, innovative possibilities, and a future-proof career.

Selecting Usha Martin University as your BCA destination is a wise choice. With experienced faculty, good placement opportunities, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and a real-world learning focus, the university prepares you for the professional arena with confidence.

Usha Martin University is the choice for the best BCA course in Jharkhand, where your technology future takes off.

[govind-singh]

Master Your Career with Full Stack Java Programming – Learn from the Best Platform for Courses

In today's competitive digital world, having a strong command over full-stack development can set you apart from the crowd. Among various technology stacks Full Stack Java programming stands out as a robust, reliable, and high-performance choice for web and enterprise application development. But where you learn it matters as much as what you learn. That’s why choosing the best platform for courses is the first step toward success.

Whether you're a fresher aiming to land your first tech job, a working professional planning to upskill, or someone transitioning into a software development career, enrolling in a Full Stack Java programming course from a reputed platform can open the doors to immense opportunities.

What is Full Stack Java Programming?

Full Stack Java programming refers to the development of both the front-end (client-side) and back-end (server-side) of web applications using Java technologies. It typically includes learning:

Front-End Tools: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js or Angular

Back-End Frameworks: Java, Spring, Spring Boot

Database Management: MySQL, MongoDB

Version Control: Git, GitHub

Deployment: Docker, Jenkins, AWS, etc.

This comprehensive approach empowers developers to build fully functional and scalable web applications from scratch.

Why Choose the Best Platform for Courses?

The best platform for courses ensures not only high-quality content but also real-world project experience, expert mentorship, industry-recognized certifications, and placement support. Here's what makes a platform the best:

Industry-Aligned Curriculum

Experienced Trainers

Hands-on Projects

Flexible Learning Modes (Online/Offline/Hybrid)

Affordable Pricing with EMI Options

Job Assistance or Internship Opportunities

Choosing the right platform can make your learning journey smoother, faster, and more rewarding.

Key Benefits of Learning Full Stack Java Programming

Here’s why Full Stack Java Programming is a game-changer for tech enthusiasts:

1. Versatility in Job Roles

Once you master both the front-end and back-end, you're eligible for a wide range of job roles:

Full Stack Developer

Java Developer

Back-End Developer

Software Engineer

Web Developer

2. High Demand in the Market

Java is one of the most used programming languages globally. Companies are constantly in search of skilled Full Stack Java Developers to handle end-to-end development.

3. Lucrative Salary Packages

Due to their diverse skill set, Full Stack Java Developers often command higher salary packages than specialists. Freshers can start with competitive salaries, while experienced professionals enjoy even more lucrative offers.

4. Complete Control Over Projects

As a full stack developer, you understand the complete architecture of an application, which allows you to contribute more effectively to the development lifecycle and take on leadership roles.

5. Better Freelance & Startup Opportunities

Freelancers and entrepreneurs benefit greatly from Full Stack Java skills. You can build entire applications independently or with a small team, reducing development costs and timelines.

6. Community Support and Resources

Java has a vast global developer community. Whether it’s troubleshooting, new trends, or open-source tools, you’ll always find help and support.

Why Our Platform is the Best Platform for Courses

Our learning platform is designed to empower you with job-ready skills and real-world knowledge. Here's what sets us apart as the best platform for courses:

✅ Comprehensive Java Full Stack Curriculum

✅ Expert Mentorship from Industry Professionals

✅ Real-Time Projects & Assignments

✅ Live Classes + Recorded Sessions

✅ Placement Assistance with Resume Building & Mock Interviews

✅ Internship Opportunities to Build Your Portfolio

✅ Certification Recognized by Top IT Companies

With flexible learning schedules, weekend classes, and doubt-clearing sessions, we ensure every student gets personalized attention and career guidance.

Final Thoughts

Full Stack Java Programming is not just a skill—it's a career-transforming toolkit that can help you become a valuable asset in any software development team. By choosing the best platform for courses, you're investing in your future with the right resources, mentorship, and career support.

Don’t wait to make the leap. Whether you're just starting out or planning your next career move, mastering Full Stack Java Programming with us can be your smartest decision yet.

🚀 Start your journey today — enroll now with the best platform for courses and become a certified Full Stack Java Developer!

[articles-submission]

Master the Code: How Java, Python, and Web Development Tutoring on MentorForHire Can Supercharge Your Tech Career

In a world powered by software, coding is no longer just a niche skill—it's a core competency. Whether you're looking to break into tech, ace a coding bootcamp, land your first junior developer job, or scale your expertise as a senior engineer, personalized mentoring makes a dramatic difference. That’s where MentorForHire.com comes in—a platform that connects you with industry professionals for hands-on Java Tutoring, Python Tutoring, and Web Development Tutoring.

Here’s how specialized tutoring in these key areas can accelerate your learning journey and help you achieve your software development goals.

Why One-on-One Coding Tutoring Beats Generic Online Courses

Self-paced tutorials and free courses are great for dipping your toes in—but when you're serious about growth, they often fall short. Why?

You don’t know what you don’t know.

Debugging can become a time-wasting nightmare.

Without accountability, progress slows down.

You’re not getting job-ready feedback from a real developer.

MentorForHire solves all of these problems by connecting you with real mentors who’ve worked in tech and know what it takes to succeed. Whether you're working on a class assignment, preparing for interviews, or building a full-stack project, you'll get tailored support.

Java Tutoring: Build Enterprise-Grade Skills from the Ground Up

Java isn’t just for beginners—it powers billions of devices, from Android apps to massive backend systems used in finance, healthcare, and e-commerce. If you're serious about software engineering, Java Tutoring offers a rock-solid foundation.

With a mentor, you can:

Understand core concepts like classes, inheritance, interfaces, and exception handling.

Master data structures and algorithms for whiteboard interviews.

Build scalable applications using Java frameworks like Spring and Hibernate.

Get help with unit testing, debugging, and version control.

Prepare for certifications like Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) and Oracle Certified Professional (OCP).

A mentor will not only explain the "how" of Java development but also the "why"—turning you from a coder into a software architect-in-training.

Python Tutoring: The Most Versatile Language in Tech

Python has become the go-to language for beginners and professionals alike because of its simplicity and power. Whether you want to get into automation, data science, machine learning, or back-end web development, Python Tutoring gives you the skills you need to thrive.

On MentorForHire.com, Python mentors can help you:

Write clean, efficient, and maintainable code.

Understand essential concepts like functions, loops, list comprehensions, and file I/O.

Use libraries like NumPy, pandas, Matplotlib, and scikit-learn for data analysis.

Build web apps with Flask or Django from scratch.

Automate tasks using Python scripts or integrate with APIs.

Whether you're solving LeetCode challenges or working on a startup prototype, personalized tutoring can take your Python skills to the next level.

Web Development Tutoring: Learn to Build the Web, Not Just Consume It

Today’s digital economy is built on the web—and web developers are in high demand across every industry. But with so many tools and frameworks, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s where Web Development Tutoring comes in.

From front-end to back-end to full-stack, tutors on MentorForHire.com can guide you step-by-step:

Front-End Skills:

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript fundamentals

Responsive design using Flexbox and Grid

JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue

Version control with Git and GitHub

Back-End Skills:

Node.js with Express or Java with Spring Boot

REST APIs and database integration (MySQL, MongoDB)

Authentication systems (OAuth, JWT)

DevOps basics: deploying apps with Heroku or AWS

You’ll work on actual projects like to-do lists, dashboards, or e-commerce stores—and get expert feedback every step of the way.

How MentorForHire Makes Learning Easier and Smarter

MentorForHire.com isn't just about hiring a tutor—it's about mentorship. The platform matches you with experienced developers who offer:

Flexible scheduling – Learn when it suits your life.

Customized roadmaps – No more cookie-cutter syllabi.

Real-world projects – Build apps that solve actual problems.

Code reviews & interview prep – Gain confidence before job applications.

Ongoing support – Whether it’s bugs, burnout, or breakthroughs.

This isn’t a YouTube tutorial or a lecture—it’s a partnership. Whether you're 16 or 60, learning to code becomes faster and more meaningful when you have someone guiding you in real time.

Who Is This For?

Students who want to stand out in their CS classes

Career changers entering tech from another field

Bootcamp grads who need more 1:1 help

Junior developers looking to climb the ladder

Entrepreneurs building their own software products

If you’ve got a goal and a laptop, MentorForHire.com has a mentor ready to help you reach it.

Final Thoughts: The Future Belongs to Lifelong Learners

The best investment you can make is in yourself. Whether you're learning Java, diving into Python, or building full-stack web apps, tutoring turns passive learning into active progress.

MentorForHire.com helps unlock your potential by giving you access to mentors who’ve been where you are—and know how to help you level up.

So why wait? Start your personalized tutoring journey today. Visit MentorForHire and connect with a mentor who can help you write your success story in code.