MajorDecisions

Inspiration

As students, we often face uncertainty when deciding which major or career path to choose. There's a lack of personalized guidance that takes into account our unique backgrounds, skills, and interests. We wanted to create a tool that not only recommends a tailored academic and career plan but also adapts over time to changes in our goals and experiences. By incorporating AI, chat features, and personalized mentorship recommendations, we aimed to build a platform that offers holistic support throughout a student's journey, helping them make informed decisions and feel confident in their future.

What it does

MajorDecisions is a web application designed to assist undergraduates in making informed career decisions, whether they're interested in industry or academia. The app recommends a personalized course schedule and career timeline, and dynamically updates it based on user input through a chatbot. In addition, MajorDecisions suggests mentors and peers who align with the user's profile, offering a support system to enhance both academic and career growth. The app evolves with the user, adapting to new skills and experiences to ensure it stays relevant to their career journey.

How we built it

We used modern web technologies to bring MajorDecisions to life. The frontend is built using React and Tailwind CSS for a responsive and clean user interface. We integrated an AI-based recommendation system powered by Python and machine learning models that take into account user profiles, interests, and past experiences. For dynamic updates, the chatbot is connected to natural language processing APIs, allowing users to modify their career plans in real-time. The backend handles user data securely and manages mentor and peer recommendations based on skill matching algorithms.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was fine-tuning the GenAI model to provide highly personalized results for different students, as each individual has unique academic and career paths. Another challenge was implementing the chatbot in a way that felt natural and helpful without overwhelming the user with too much information. Additionally, integrating mentor and peer recommendations with relevant user profiles required complex matching algorithms, which took time to refine. Ensuring the app's scalability while keeping response times fast was another hurdle we worked through.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of creating a tool that brings value to students and provides personalized career guidance. One of our key accomplishments was integrating an adaptive recommendation system that not only offers tailored course suggestions but also updates the user’s career path based on changing preferences. The successful incorporation of a responsive chatbot and mentorship feature into the app also stands out. Overall, delivering a polished and functional application within the limited timeframe of the hackathon is something we take pride in.

What we learned

We learned the importance of collaboration and time management, especially when dealing with the multiple moving parts of a web application. Working with AI and machine learning in real-time applications taught us how to effectively handle data and refine algorithms for better user experiences. We also gained experience in integrating various technologies, from frontend development to backend services, and how to manage challenges that arise during integration.

What's next for MajorDecisions

Moving forward, we plan to expand the AI's capabilities to better handle complex user profiles and provide even more accurate career suggestions. We also want to integrate more data sources, like internship and job opportunities, to make the app more comprehensive. Enhancing the mentorship matching system by adding more detailed user analytics and feedback loops is another goal. Lastly, we'd like to refine the chatbot's functionality to offer even more dynamic and interactive support as users progress through their academic and career paths.