by Glenn Brigaldino

Created on: December 14, 2006   Last Updated: July 10, 2011

Is consulting a cup of tea for all?
Consulting as a business and commitment

As globalisation continues to transform, erode and reinvent forms of employment, an increasing number of formerly "secure" employees are finding themselves in and out of jobs more frequently than ever before. The captains of industry and their political cronies continue to preach about the benefits of free enterprise, rarely if ever pointing out in whose benefit such freedom generally tends to be. Self-employed consultant, home-based business manager, free agent, these are just a few of the new titles many ex-wage laborers are now decorated with. For some these forms of independent employment on a contract basis do provide a sufficient basis to live on and to advance. But scores of people find that they now work more, yet barely make ends meet. The transition is marked by a growing pool of entrepreneurs, not out of choice but out of necessity, and without the security of a regular paycheck or employment benefits. To be sure, consulting can be very profitable, in particular for those with formal qualifications in tune with the demands of the large consulting firms. The professional category of "consultant" has experienced considerable redefinition in recent years, as many of today's consultants are the byproduct of "flexible" or rather of deregulated labour relations and experimental employment models in the wake of globalisation.

Starting salaries in consulting positions range from $30,000 to $50,000. Starting salaries with an MBA degree range from $40,000 to $125,000. These salaries vary with firms and with the region of the country you are in. Senior consultants can attain six figure incomes. So why not consult you may ask? For a start, there are as many job descriptions for a consultant as there are actual consultants. Often a consultant wears more than one hat and can easily boast to be advising in half a dozen professional fields. With some 30 million Americans working on their own either regularly or occasionally, about one in four American workers now wear a consultant's hat. Thus, competition is real. For employers, large pools of eager and ready workers are on stand-by, available in a fixed rate- no benefits package.

There is no guaranteed road to success, every consultant's history is a mix of past stability, intermediate fragility, a stable client base or a constant chasing of fleeting opportunities. Many newly fired professionals may find themselves with no other choice than

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