Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become a consultant. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in a consultant.
Most companies require a consultant to have a bachelor's degree degree in a related field, such as business or computer science.
It's important to have relevant work experience, with typical job requirements ranging from 2-4 years in related fields.
Common job titles before becoming a consultant include internship, project manager, and manager.
Hiring managers expect a consultant to have soft skills such as interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and time-management skills.
Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of 3-6 months of job training to become a consultant.
Getting a certification as a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) will help you to earn more as a consultant.
We found that 64.3% of consultants have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 17.5% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most consultants have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every eight consultants were not college graduates.
Those consultants who do attend college, typically earn either a business degree or a computer science degree. Less commonly earned degrees for consultants include a accounting degree or a psychology degree.
If you're interested in becoming a consultant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 64.3% of consultants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 17.5% of consultants have master's degrees. Even though most consultants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a consultant. When we researched the most common majors for a consultant, we found that they most commonly have business, computer science and accounting.
| Consultant Major | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Business | 24.30% |
| Computer Science | 9.40% |
| Accounting | 8.10% |
| Psychology | 6.40% |
| Other Degrees | 51.90% |
It'll be a good idea to develop consultant skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in consultant job descriptions:
| Skills | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Customer Service | 10.10% |
| Strong Analytical | 6.79% |
| Project Management | 5.60% |
| C++ | 5.44% |
| C # | 5.44% |
Consultants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as a consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real consultant resumes.
When you decide to become a consultant, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most consultant jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.
Yes, you can become a consultant without a degree. One way to gain the necessary skills is to take a comprehensive course. Additionally, you can also gain experience by working on relevant projects or volunteering as a junior consultant. Networking and building relationships with other professionals in the field are also great ways to break into the industry.
Here are courses we recommend for consultants at the beginning of their career paths.
1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)
Online
40 hours; 12 weeks, Full-time
Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...
2. Data Analytics (Part Time)
Online
20 hours; 10 weeks, Part-time
Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...
3. Intro to Statistics
Statistics is about extracting meaning from data. In this class, we will introduce techniques for visualizing relationships in data and systematic techniques for understanding the relationships using mathematics...
4. Data Visualization with Tableau
Learn the fundamentals of data visualization and practice communicating with data. This course covers how to apply design principles, human perception, color theory, and effective storytelling with data. If you present data to others, aspire...
5. Retail for Business Analysts and Management Consultants
What is the aim of this course? Retail has become very competitive. We have the rise of e-commerce and multichannel, buyers' behavior has also changed drastically. This leads to lower margins. As a Business Analyst...
6. Consulting Startup How to Start a Consulting Business Fast
The consulting industry is growing as more and more people are looking for experts to solve their problems, do you want to be a part of that growth? Do you want to learn exactly how...
7. Intro to Data Analytics
Online
2 hours; 1 week, 2 hours live
Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you to develop recommendations based on your findings. All in real time, taught by an industry professional...
8. Intro to Data Analysis
This course will introduce you to the world of data analysis. You'll learn how to go through the entire data analysis process, which includes posing a question, wrangling your data into a format you can...
9. Strategy for Management Consultants & Business Analysts
What is the aim of this course?Strategy is one of the most dreaded subjects in any business. There are so many conflicting frameworks that are difficult to decide what to choose. In this course, you...
10. Consulting Business Masterclass: Start A Consulting Business
Would you like to start a profitable consulting business? And do you want to become location-independent and work from anywhere in the world? Then this course is for you! In this course,I will take you...
11. Supply Chain for Management Consultants & Business Analysts
What is the aim of this course?This course will help you drastically improve your knowledge and skills in optimizing any company's supply chain through a series of practical cases. It is designed for people who...
12. Business Analysis: Developing Irresistible Business Cases
Are you working on projects that just dont make a difference in your organization'the problem is that business cases are being done wrong and its up to you to fix it. The best Business Analysts...
13. Start and Run a successful consulting business
What is the aim of this course?No matter what you do at some point you will be fed up with your boss, your work, and the corporate life. Most likely you will start thinking about...
14. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants
What is the aim of this course? Managing Consulting Projects is extremely difficult. You work in a hostile environment, long hours on difficult things. On top of that, the bill for your services for the...
15. Performance Improvement Projects for Management Consultants
What is the aim of this course?One of the projects you will participate in during your work in management consulting is the Performance Improvement Project. You will be hired by the owner or the Board...
16. Management Consulting Essential Training
*Updated for 2022*Imagine you could learn the techniques taught by the worlds top consulting firms such as McKinsey and BCG without ever working at a firm! What if you could put yourself in a position...
17. Production for Management Consultants and Business Analysts
What is the aim of this course? This course will help you drastically improve your knowledge and skills in optimizing the production and operations of any company through a series of practical cases. It is...
18. 12 Steps Business Case Development
After completing this course, you will be able to build an effective business case. You will understand what makes a business case, how to prepare one and how to design business cases to persuade decision...
19. Financial Modeling for Business Analysts and Consultants
What is the aim of this course?As a business analyst or a consultant, you will have to from time to time create financial models. There are a bit different than business models. In business models,...
20. Audit - Financial Statement
Audit-Financial Accounting will discuss, in detail, the auditing process of financial statements. The course will start by discussing what an audit is, as well as what the terms attest engagement and assurances services mean. We...
To become a consultant with no experience, you should get certified, earn a bachelor's degree, and network. Consultants are experts, so starting a career with no experience most likely means you may begin your career in an adjacent position to earn experience before switching, but there are other ways to prepare you for this position.
The career path for a consultant includes jobs as a business consultant, legal consultant, and financial consultant.
Consulting is an extremely diverse career path, as it can involve jobs in so many different industries, which all require their own educational background and specific skill sets.
In general, most consultants obtain at least a bachelor's degree in the specific field they want to consult in. Consultants also often gain certifications that are relevant to their field of work.
Here are some of the most common consulting career paths:
Business consultant
A consultant has expertise in a specific area of business or in a general sense. They offer expert advice to businesses, companies, and corporations in order to improve their business models and increase their profits.
Business consultants may also provide advice on how to structure a company or specific project. They are known to have strong communication skills, as this is essential in delivering their strategies to their clients.
Most business consultants have at least a bachelor's degree, while many have a master's degree. Degrees in business, economics, business administration, and finance are all relevant to a career in the field.
Most consultants do not start their careers in consulting but rather form or run successful companies or businesses before breaking into a career as a business consultant.
Legal consultant
A legal consultant is a professional who provides legal advice and strategies to individuals and organizations. While they can perform many of the same functions as a lawyer, legal consultants strictly provide services outside of the courtroom. They can work in many different areas of law, including financial law, foreign affairs, real estate, as well as many others.
To become a legal consultant, you must graduate from law school and pass the bar exam. Legal consultants often specialize in one area of the law, meaning you need to gain sufficient experience in a specific legal area to become a legal consultant.
Nearly all legal consultants are veteran lawyers that have had long careers in the field. Oftentimes they are semi-retired and consult on a part-time basis.
Financial consultant
A financial consultant is a professional that helps an individual or company build wealth. Their main objective is to help their clients with developing comprehensive long-term financial strategies to increase their wealth. They are heavily involved in the buying and selling of investments. And turning complicated financial concepts into actionable strategies.
A financial consultant may also advise a client or company on legal matters that relate to finance management and other financial issues. Financial consultants may operate broadly or in a more specific field.
Some examples of specialized financial consultants include pricing consultants, tax consultants, financial advisors, fundraising consultants, underwriting consultants, and valuation consultants.
To become a financial consultant, you must have an immense amount of knowledge in the areas of economics, financial concepts, business operations, and math. Nearly all have bachelor's degrees in a related area, and many hold master's degrees in finance, economics, business, mathematics, or other related areas.
Marketing consultant
Marketing consultants help companies develop a brand, connect with a target audience, and create effective business plans that result in more sales and public awareness of the company's products and/or services.
Marketing consultants may work in a broad capacity or specialize in a certain area of marketing. They may have extensive skills in creative areas, like copywriting or design, or may focus on technical realms, like data analytics and market research.
Examples of some sub-roles in the area of market consulting are advertising consultant, sales consultant, retail consultant, social media consultant, branding adviser, promotions consultant, SEO consultant, and digital marketing consultant.
Most marketing consultants hold a bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, or another related field. Many also choose to get advanced degrees in these areas. It is necessary to build an impressive marketing portfolio prior to venturing into a career in consulting.
