SiphosethuMhlongo/sa-ai-career-chatbot

AI-powered chatbot that helps South African matric students choose the right career path based on their marks, interests and financial situation # SA AI Career Chatbot 🇿🇦 An AI-powered chatbot that helps South African Grade 11, Grade 12, and post-matric students choose the right career path — based on their subject marks, interests, and financial situation. ## The Problem Thousands of SA matric students choose degrees blindly, with no access to career counsellors. Many end up unemployed or in fields with no growth. This chatbot gives every student — especially from township and rural backgrounds — honest, personalised guidance. ## What It Does - Takes the student's subject marks (Grade 11 or 12) - Asks about their interests and whether funding is a concern - Recommends top career paths based on the real SA job market - Shows which universities accept their marks (APS scores) - Suggests bursaries: NSFAS, Funza Lushaka, Eskom, Investec, etc. - Offers alternative paths: TVET colleges, learnerships, bootcamps ## Tech Stack - Python (Phase 1 — terminal prototype) ✅ in progress - FastAPI (Phase 2 — backend API) coming soon - React + Tailwind (Phase 3 — chat UI) coming soon - Claude AI API (Anthropic) coming soon - Firebase Firestore (Phase 4) coming soon - RAG + Vector Database (Phase 4) coming soon ## Build Phases | Phase | What | Status | |-------|------------------------------------------|----------------| | 1 | Terminal prototype — Python + Claude API | 🔨 Building | | 2 | FastAPI backend — REST API | 🔜 Next | | 3 | React frontend — chat UI | 🔜 Upcoming | | 4 | RAG + memory + Firebase | 🔜 Upcoming | | 5 | Deploy + launch | 🔜 Upcoming | ## Author **Siphosethu Mhlongo** BSc Honours Computer Science (University of Venda) — Research Distinction MSc Computer Science Candidate — University of Limpopo Aspiring AI / ML Engineer | Soweto, Johannesburg LinkedIn |