Hidayat- Take the first step towards your career

HIdayat is a platform that aims to connect student counselors with students from all over Pakistan in one place at the click of a button through the integration of AI.

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Inspiration

This project is very dear to the whole team as we have all gone through the process of deciding our careers with out proper and professional guidance.

Hidayat was inspired from the 4 issues identified below:

Issue 1# Growing workforce: Pakistan has the fifth largest population in the world and it is forecasted by United nations that in 2050 it would increase from 220 mil to 390 mil. Currently, 64% of our population is below 30 and increasing. 62.84% percent of Pakistan's population currently resides in rural areas. The statistics above represent a population that can either become a productive contributor to Pakistan's economy and society or a redundant workforce.

Issue 2# Lack of career counselors We as a nation are currently facing a population boom and we don't have the career counseling resources to cater to the needs of our young population. Our young population is unaware of the career options they can pursue because of the lack of career counseling services available. Due to this, they seek advice from informal sources such as Parents, Teachers and Peers which leads to uninformed decisions regarding their careers. Often times they lead careers that are against their strengths. This leads to a demotivation in pursuing their career professionally. Hence, these adults drop out from the work force and remain as unproductive members of the society.

Issue 3# School Drop out rate An intelligent child is pushed for prestigious careers such as doctors, teachers and engineers. However, the society has failed to realize the link between demand and supply in the Human development market. On the other hand, a child, who is weak in studies is either given minimum education or drops out. This has become a major problem in Pakistan as many students who can pursue other lucrative professions are unable to do so. Hence, we require career counseling services to council parents and students alike to make better decisions for their children's future.

Issue 4# Academics and suicide rates in KPK In the last two decades, the competition in academics has tremendously risen. For many students, their future is tied with their academics. Their scores in F.Sc and Matric can determine whether they would have a bright future or not. Due to this perception, many students who get low scores at Matric and FSc level have given up their lives to suicide. For example, the high suicide rate in KPK.I believe and research backs it up that students lives can be saved if they are provided proper career counseling from an early stage.

Above, we have identified several different issues that we wish to cater with our solution. Therefore, this solution was inspired to solve the wicked problem known as the lack of career counseling in Pakistan. We propose an application that gives students access to multiple career counselors from all over Pakistan at any time on their phones.

What it does

The application would be partnering up with schools and NGO.s to provide access to students For students, the proposed solution is very simple. The students would be provided a school code through which they would be able to create a profile. They would be required to take a series of tests which would determine their aptitude, ability, strengths, weaknesses and mental health. Then with the help of an AI they would be provided career counselor preferences on the dash board. They would have the choice and freedom to also browse for other career counselors as well. After the student selects the counselor they can book an appointment with them at any time from anywhere.

How we built it

The app is still in its ideation phase. Front end for web:. Net, C#, JQuery, Bootstrap, Javascript We used Mobile Android SDK Back end: use SQL server

What we learned

We learned the art of critical thinking through the live Facebook session on critical thinking. As a remote team, we learned the importance of communication. When building a project it is important for the whole team to be on the same page. It is important to assign appropriate deadlines and allow for a relaxed approach when managing the project and team. Secondly, team work is crucial in bringing any project from ideation to the the final product.

What's next for Hidayat- Take the first step Towards your career

The vision of Hidayat is to be able cater to all the career counseling needs from fifth grade till the age of 30 We plan to launch a scholarship program for students who are not able to afford the subscription of the app or are not a part of any school system. We plan to upscale and provide career counseling services to Bachelor level students and young professionals. We plan to introduce an informal mentor system unlike before in which individuals working in the industry or sectors are able to guide those who are aspiring for them. E.g an HR professional guiding a student who wants to pursue a certification in HR. We plan to introduce a career counseling course in the long term.

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