CareerBridge – AI-Powered Career Platform

A comprehensive career development platform helping students and fresh graduates discover their perfect career path through intelligent job matching, personalized learning recommendations, and progress tracking.

🌟 Overview

CareerBridge connects job seekers with opportunities that match their skills and career goals. Built with modern technologies, the platform offers:

• Smart Job Matching - Get personalized job recommendations with detailed match scores
• AI Career Assistant - Generate professional summaries, improve project descriptions, get profile tips
• CV Management - Upload, generate, and export professional CVs as PDF
• Skill Gap Analysis - Discover what skills you need and get learning recommendations
• Career Roadmaps - AI-generated personalized learning paths with timelines
• Progress Tracking - Monitor your job applications and learning journey
• Multiple Login Options - Sign in with email, Google, or GitHub
• Beautiful Interface - Modern dark/light themes with smooth animations

🎯 Who Is This For?

• 🎓 Students seeking internships and career guidance
• 👨‍💼 Fresh Graduates starting their professional journey
• 📈 Career Changers exploring new opportunities
• 💼 Job Seekers looking for their next role

✨ Key Features

🔐 Authentication

• Email and password login
• Google OAuth integration
• GitHub OAuth integration
• Secure JWT-based sessions

💼 Job Search

• Personalized job recommendations with match scores
• Search and filter by location, type, and experience level
• View detailed job descriptions, requirements, and benefits
• Track your applications

📚 Learning

• Discover courses and tutorials based on your skill gaps
• Track your learning progress
• Get recommendations tailored to your career goals
• Filter by cost (free/paid) and skills

📊 Career Development

• Analyze skill gaps for target roles
• See which skills employers are looking for
• Get a match percentage for different job positions
• Track your improvement over time
• AI-powered career roadmaps with personalized learning paths
• Project suggestions to build your portfolio
• Job application timing guidance

🤖 AI-Powered CV/Profile Assistant

• Professional Summary Generator - Create compelling CV summaries instantly
• Project Description Enhancer - Transform basic descriptions into impactful bullet points
• LinkedIn/Portfolio Tips - Get 5 personalized improvement suggestions
• CV Export & Print - Generate clean, professional CV layouts (PDF-ready)
• Career Mentor Chatbot - Ask career questions and get expert advice
• Smart Skill Extraction - Upload CV and automatically extract skills

🎨 Modern Experience

• Clean, intuitive interface with dark/light themes
• Smooth animations and transitions
• Mobile-responsive design
• Fast and reliable performance

🛠️ Technology Stack

Backend:

• Rust with Axum framework
• PostgreSQL database
• JWT authentication

Frontend:

• Next.js 15 with React 19
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• Radix UI components

For detailed technical information, see Backend Documentation and Frontend Documentation.

⚡ Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70+ (Install)
• Node.js 18+ (Install)
• PostgreSQL 14+ (Install)

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/tamim2763/career-bridge.git
cd career-bridge

2. Set Up Backend (See detailed backend setup)

cd backend

# Create database
createdb -U postgres career_bridge

# Apply schema and seed data
psql -U postgres -d career_bridge -f schema.sql
psql -U postgres -d career_bridge -f seed_data.sql

# Create .env file with required environment variables
# See "Environment Variables & API Keys" section below for details
# Minimum required: DATABASE_URL, JWT_SECRET, FRONTEND_URL

# Then start the server
cargo run

Backend runs at: http://localhost:3000

3. Set Up Frontend (See detailed frontend setup)

cd frontend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

Frontend runs at: http://localhost:3001

Note: Both servers must run simultaneously for the application to work properly.

Quick Test

Visit http://localhost:3001 to explore the application, or test the API:

curl http://localhost:3000/

🔐 Environment Variables & API Keys

Backend Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the backend/ directory with the following variables:

Required Variables

# Database Configuration
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/career_bridge

# JWT Authentication
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key-change-in-production-minimum-32-characters

# Frontend URL (for CORS and OAuth redirects)
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3001

Optional Variables (for enhanced features)

# Server Configuration
PORT=3000
RUST_ENV=development
RUST_LOG=info

# OAuth Authentication (Google)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-google-client-id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-google-client-secret
GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI=http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/auth/google/callback

# OAuth Authentication (GitHub)
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=your-github-client-id
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=your-github-client-secret
GITHUB_REDIRECT_URI=http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/auth/github/callback

# AI Services (Optional - for AI-powered features)
GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-api-key
GROQ_API_KEY=your-groq-api-key
HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY=your-huggingface-api-key

Frontend Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file in the frontend/ directory:

# Backend API URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:3000/api

How to Obtain API Keys

1. Database (PostgreSQL)

Option A: Local PostgreSQL

# Install PostgreSQL locally
# Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install postgresql postgresql-contrib
# macOS: brew install postgresql@14
# Windows: Download from postgresql.org

# Create database
createdb -U postgres career_bridge

# Update DATABASE_URL
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:your-password@localhost:5432/career_bridge

Option B: Cloud Database (Railway, Supabase, Neon)

• Sign up at Railway, Supabase, or Neon
• Create a PostgreSQL database
• Copy the connection string to DATABASE_URL

2. JWT Secret

Generate a secure random string (minimum 32 characters):

# Linux/macOS
openssl rand -base64 32

# Or use an online generator
# https://generate-secret.vercel.app/32

3. Google OAuth (Optional)

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project or select existing
3. Enable Google+ API
4. Go to Credentials → Create Credentials → OAuth 2.0 Client ID
5. Configure OAuth consent screen
6. Add authorized redirect URI: http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/auth/google/callback
7. Copy Client ID and Client Secret to .env

4. GitHub OAuth (Optional)

1. Go to GitHub Developer Settings
2. Click New OAuth App
3. Fill in:
   • Application name: CareerBridge
   • Homepage URL: http://localhost:3001
   • Authorization callback URL: http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/auth/github/callback
4. Copy Client ID and generate Client Secret
5. Add to .env file

5. Google Gemini API (Optional - for AI features)

1. Go to Google AI Studio
2. Click Get API Key
3. Create a new API key or use existing
4. Copy to GEMINI_API_KEY in .env

Features enabled:

• Professional CV summary generation
• Project description enhancement
• Profile improvement suggestions
• Career roadmap generation
• Career mentor chatbot
• Skill extraction from CV

6. Groq API (Optional - AI fallback)

1. Go to Groq Console
2. Sign up and navigate to API Keys
3. Create a new API key
4. Copy to GROQ_API_KEY in .env

Note: Groq is used as a fallback if Gemini API fails. The system automatically switches between providers.

7. Hugging Face API (Optional - for AI job matching explanations)

1. Go to Hugging Face
2. Sign up and navigate to Settings → Access Tokens
3. Create a new token with Read permissions
4. Copy to HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY in .env

Features enabled:

• AI-generated job match explanations
• Enhanced match analysis with strengths and improvement areas

Note: If not provided, the system falls back to heuristic explanations.

Environment Variables Summary

Variable	Required	Purpose	Where to Get
DATABASE_URL	✅	PostgreSQL connection	Local installation or cloud provider
JWT_SECRET	✅	Token signing	Generate with openssl rand -base64 32
FRONTEND_URL	✅	CORS configuration	Your frontend URL
PORT	❌	Server port (default: 3000)	Optional override
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID	❌	Google OAuth	Google Cloud Console
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET	❌	Google OAuth	Google Cloud Console
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID	❌	GitHub OAuth	GitHub Developer Settings
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET	❌	GitHub OAuth	GitHub Developer Settings
GEMINI_API_KEY	❌	AI features (primary)	Google AI Studio
GROQ_API_KEY	❌	AI features (fallback)	Groq Console
HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY	❌	AI job matching	Hugging Face

Frontend Variables

Variable	Required	Purpose	Default
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL	❌	Backend API endpoint	http://127.0.0.1:3000/api

📁 Project Structure

career-bridge/
├── backend/                    # Rust API server
│   ├── src/                   # Source code
│   ├── schema.sql             # Database schema
│   ├── seed_data.sql          # Sample data
│   └── README.md              # Backend documentation
│
├── frontend/                   # Next.js application
│   ├── src/                   # Source code
│   │   ├── app/              # Pages and routes
│   │   ├── components/       # React components
│   │   └── lib/              # Utilities
│   └── README.md              # Frontend documentation
│
├── LICENSE
└── README.md                   # This file

Main Pages

Page	Description
Landing (/)	Hero section, features, testimonials
Dashboard (/dashboard)	Personalized job and learning recommendations
Jobs (/jobs)	Search and browse job listings
Resources (/resources)	Learning materials and courses
Profile (/profile)	Manage your profile and CV
Login/Register	Authentication pages

For detailed architecture, see Backend README and Frontend README.

📚 Documentation

Core Documentation

• Backend README - API documentation, database schema, setup guide
• Frontend README - Component architecture, UI system, development guide
• API Tests - Interactive API examples

Additional Resources

• Database schema details in Backend README
• Component library in Frontend README
• OAuth setup instructions in Backend README

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Commit (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push and create a Pull Request

For coding standards and detailed guidelines, see the respective README files in backend/ and frontend/.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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Built with ❤️ by the From_Los_Santosh Team

🚀 Empowering careers through technology