Consulting can still be a strong first job, but the reasons are shifting. AI is reducing the value of some junior tasks such as basic research, first-draft analysis and repetitive slide production, so analysts increasingly need to add judgment, synthesis and communication earlier.

That does not mean entry-level learning disappears. You still get exposure to ambiguous business problems, senior feedback, client teams and multiple industries, but the apprenticeship may involve less manual work and more checking, interpreting and improving AI-assisted output.

The better comparison is against your realistic alternatives. Banking may offer deeper finance exposure, while tech can give you more ownership of one product or function. Consulting still stands out for breadth and structured professional development.

Choose it if you want the learning model, not because you assume the analyst job will look exactly like it did five years ago. Ask current analysts what they actually spend time on now. For more detail, see the management consulting overview.

I wonder if the bigger change is what juniors get to learn first. If AI handles the easy analysis, where do you build those skills?

Do you think AI changes the value of consulting more for generalist analysts than for people in specialist teams?