Short answer: It depends.
Consultants, like any other working people, are expected to be qualified for the work they do. For people like us, those qualifications come in a few forms.
Qualifications that are mandated by a regulatory body
If you want to practice law, you need to be a board-certified lawyer. If you want to practice medicine, you need to demonstrate to a professional board that you are qualified, and you can’t practice without their certification.
That’s what I mean by certification from a regulatory body. If you need it, you need it. So if that’s you, and you don’t have that piece of paper yet, you have your work cut out for you. That said, there may be work peripheral to that exact role that you might already be qualified for. Read on.
Qualifications that are impressive but not legally required
These vary from vocation to vocation. In my line of work, a Master’s degree is usually considered an asset. In your line of work, maybe it’s a particular certification like a Registered Professional Agronomist or a what have you.
If you have qualifications that add to your credibility, by all means, you should be highlighting them. If you can think of a potential qualification that would help raise your profile and credibility, and is feasible for you to pursue right now, I think you should go for it.
But here’s the thing: your educational training is only part of the picture.
Don’t worry if you don’t have that PhD or Master’s. For most professions, they’re not the most important thing.
Knowledge and experience are a consultant’s stock in trade.
The most important qualification a consultant has is a proven track record of bringing change to their client’s business. Sure, they’ll look at where you went to school… but it’s not going to close the deal. What gets you the gig is being able to demonstrate to them that you understand the challenge they’re up against, you’ve worked with cases like this before, you are able to solve their problem or rise to their challenge, and you can do so for a reasonable price.