Career Genie

Career Genie is a production-ready, full-stack web application designed to help students discover the right careers based on their intrinsic interests, cognitive styles, skills, personality, and lifestyle preferences.

It bridges the gap between raw interest and actual ability, turning insights into an actionable, AI-assisted career roadmap.

Project Architecture

• Frontend: React 18, Vite, Tailwind CSS v4, Framer Motion, Recharts, Radix UI.
• Backend: Python 3, FastAPI, Uvicorn, Pydantic, Google GenAI SDK.
• Data Engine: Deterministic ontology scoring engine (ontology.json) combined with an LLM for descriptive text.
• Storage: Stateless.

Setup & Run Instructions

1. Backend Setup

The backend runs on FastAPI and uses python dependencies.

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Create and activate a virtual environment (optional but recommended):

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .\venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   # OR
   pip install fastapi uvicorn pydantic google-genai python-dotenv

4. Configure your environment variables: Create a .env file inside the backend/ directory and add your Gemini API key:

   GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

   Note: If you don't provide an API key, the system gracefully falls back to a deterministic, rule-based roadmap mode.

5. Run the development server:

   uvicorn main:app --reload

   The backend will start at http://localhost:8000.

2. Frontend Setup

The frontend is a Vite + React application styled with Tailwind CSS v4.

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd frontend

2. Install Node.js dependencies:

   npm install

3. Run the development server:

   npm run dev

   The frontend will be available at http://localhost:5175.

Deployment Instructions

Backend (Render, Railway, or Heroku)

1. Add a Procfile containing web: uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port $PORT.
2. Push your backend code. Set your GEMINI_API_KEY in the environment variables.

Frontend (Vercel, Netlify)

1. Point your deployment platform to the frontend directory.
2. Build command: npm run build.
3. Output directory: dist.
4. Ensure you set up environment variables or proxy logic if the API is hosted externally (update the fetch URL in Assessment.tsx to point to your live backend domain).

Features Designed for Hackathon Judges

1. Deterministic Explanations: We don't hide behind a black box. The Results Dashboard clearly articulates why a role was recommended based on math.
2. Deep User Profiling: Multi-step assessment incorporating cognitive mini-tests alongside traditional Likert scales.
3. No "AI Slop": Clean professional dark theme devoid of messy template cards. Floating navigation and cohesive brand aesthetics.
4. Actionable Deliverables: Generates immediate "Top 3 next logical steps" alongside 12-month and long-term directions.