💡 Why it matters: Companies often get stuck on hard questions, like how to grow or cut waste. Consultants are outside problem-solvers they hire to find answers fast.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦3M – ₦7M
- Mid-career
- ₦8M – ₦18M
- Senior
- ₦20M – ₦45M
≈ ₦667k – ₦1.5M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Job Bank occupation: Consultant, Management. Hourly $27.00 / $44.10 / $69.71 (low / median / high) x 2,080 hours per year.. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Study how a company makes and loses money
- Interview staff and customers to find problems
- Build simple charts and reports from data
- Recommend clear fixes to company bosses
- Help the team put the new plan into action
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Analysis
- Teamwork
- Presentation
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Graduate trainee programme at a consulting firm
- Professional certificates in management consulting plus work experience
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Graduate schemes at consulting firms
- Start as an analyst in a company
🇺🇸 United States
- Entry-level analyst jobs at consulting firms
- Start in a company and move into consulting
🇨🇦 Canada
- Analyst jobs at consulting firms
- Co-op placements
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Do well in Maths, English and Economics
- 2Study business, economics or a related degree
- 3Join a firm as an analyst or intern
- 4Learn to lead projects for clients
- 5Specialise in an area like banking, energy or health
⏰ A day in the life
You start the day reading numbers for a client that sells drinks. Mid-morning you chat with managers to see where deliveries get delayed. After lunch you build slides, then pitch your ideas to the client's bosses.