OUR METHODOLOGY
How goAcorn Builds Your Report
AI handles the data retrieval. We handle the judgment.
Your report is the synthesis of both — and we sign our name to every one.
THE PROBLEM WE SOLVE
Your advisor doesn’t have time. AI doesn’t have judgment.
You’re stuck in the middle.
The average college advisor manages 300+ students. They can’t go deep on labor market data, specialization tracks, or AI-resilience analysis for your specific situation. That’s not a failure of effort — it’s a structural impossibility.
At the same time, AI tools can surface data fast — but they can’t tell you which questions matter for your situation, interpret what your answers actually reveal, or stake a reputation on a recommendation. goAcorn was built to do all three.
THE PROCESS
Four Steps. One Report. 72 Hours.
1
STRUCTURED INTAKE
You complete a research-designed questionnaire built around the questions most students don’t know to ask — interests, risk tolerance, AI-exposure concerns, family expectations, and more.
2
LABOR MARKET RESEARCH
We pull current data from BLS Occupational Outlook, O*NET, LinkedIn Workforce Insights, and NACE salary surveys — sourced fresh for your report, not recycled from a template.
3
INTAKE TRANSLATION
This is the human layer. We interpret what your answers actually reveal — the patterns, contradictions, and signals that data alone can’t resolve. This is what turns research into a recommendation.
4
ANALYST SIGN-OFF
Every report closes with a named analyst note — specific observations about your situation that no framework would catch on its own. We don’t send a report we wouldn’t put our name on.
DATA SOURCES
Where the research comes from
We don’t manufacture confidence. Every recommendation is grounded in publicly verifiable labor market data.
BLS OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK
10-year employment projections by occupation
O*NET ONLINE
Skill requirements, task profiles, and automation exposure ratings
LINKEDIN WORKFORCE INSIGHTS
Real hiring trends and in-demand skills by industry
NACE SALARY SURVEY
Entry-level salary benchmarks by major and industry
COLLEGE SCORECARD
Post-graduation earnings by institution and program
ANALYST JUDGEMENT
Human interpretation of what the data means for your specific situation
THE HUMAN LAYER
Why we sign every report
AI can retrieve data. It can’t tell you that your answers suggest you’d burn out in a client-facing role, or that the specialization track you’re eyeing has a two-year hiring lag you should plan around.
That’s analyst judgment. That’s what you’re paying for — and it’s why every goAcorn report closes with a named note from a real person who reviewed your specific situation.
FULL TRANSPARENCY
What AI does. What we do.
We use AI tools in our research process. Here’s exactly where and where we don’t.
AI HANDLES
- Data retrieval and aggregation
- Initial synthesis of labor market sources
- Structuring report sections
- Surfacing occupation clusters by profile
WE HANDLE
- Designing the questions that matter
- Interpreting what your answers reveal
- Overriding AI when judgment requires it
- Writing the analyst sign-off
- Staking our reputation on the recommendation
Ready to see the methodology in action?
Your report is delivered within 72 hours. No calls. No back-and-forth. Just a clear answer.
All assessments include a revision guarantee. If your response doesn’t address your question as submitted, we’ll revise it at no charge.