I have been "Consultant" or, more properly, an "Independent Contractor" since 1988. I always had work off and on until 9/11 and then...
The bottom dropped out. Even all the agencies I used to do business with are out of business. Just recently things seem to be opening up a bit. My advice: avoid consulting until the economy firms up to pre-9/11 levels.

P.S. Some loose definitions:
Consultant - get paid for what you know.
Contractor - Get paid for what you do.