I think what people are trying to say here is you need to be cautious and realistic about your plans. Not everyone gets hired right out of school either. You can apply and apply and still not get work even with a degree. I don't know what the job market is like in IT consulting but I do know H's last job search took him over a year to find a good paying job (and this is with 20 yr work experience & a Ph.D). He must have submitted over 500 detailed job resumes, you have to be prepared to do that. Maybe you get hired within the first 50 resumes you submit, but you have to be prepared to just keep submitting.