Consulting Uncovered: What Consultants Really Do

Joseph Dai, Whitney Young, 2025, Spring 2025

What do self-checkout machines, drive-thrus, food delivery apps, and streaming services have in common? On the surface, it is evident how these innovations utilize technology to enhance our daily experiences. However, the question remains of how businesses, such as fast-food restaurants, movie studios, and grocery stores, implement these high-tech services, which are out of their field of expertise. This is where consultants come in: experts who are hired by companies to solve various challenges.

Consulting is a rapidly expanding industry. As stated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment of management analysts is projected to grow 11 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations” (BLS, 2024). This optimistic job growth projection is attributed to the rapidly expanding consulting industry in the US. IBIS World, a market research firm, predicts “revenue to grow an annualized 3.5% to an estimated $404.1 billion over the past five years, including an estimated 1.2% growth rate in 2025 alone” (IBIS, 2025). 

Despite the increased demand for consultants, the nature of the consulting occupation remains elusive for many. According to high school student Aritra Jana, “I have heard that consultants help businesses with problems, but the profession appears to be mysterious with how consulting firms are able to assist companies of all different types, across different industries”. This adaptability, however, stems from the strategic way consulting firms hire. Unlike other professions, consultants come from different backgrounds and college majors, with common ones including business, STEM, and the humanities. Thus, firms employ experts across a variety of fields who are poised to use their knowledge to implement solutions. Moreover, an anonymous consultant at a firm highlights how consultants are able to problem-solve for businesses in different industries by “acquiring context and doing your homework, such as learning acronyms, industry standards, and industry-specific knowledge, which will help you boost your efficiency and engagement with clients.”

The consulting industry is poised for an exciting chapter due to its intertwined relationship with technology. Advances in artificial intelligence, internet access, and other technological advancements increase the complexity of business operations and subsequently the demand for consultants will rise to manage such complications.

Works cited:

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.htm

https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/management-consulting-industry

Interviewee list:

Aritra Jana, a high school student at Whitney Young

Anonymous consultant at a firm