I think you're simplifying. It's easy to follow an online tutorial; but if that is what a consultant is doing then he is a very low quality consultant.

Conversely; I have an engineering background but found it very easy to pick up the basics of good business, at least how it applies to consultancy. Of course, I'm not trained in economics, but I figured out enough to get by (you could make an argument business sense isn't really related to economics - some wildly successful businessmen have never been educated in even the basics, they just saw and opening and sold).

What you seem to be suggesting is that an econ/business person could buy a programming 101 book and start making big bucks as a consultant software engineer. In theory I'd like to say that's rubbish, in practice I know of several people who do this.

Can't condone it though: the underlying drive for a consultant should always be - "I have a valuable skill, here is what it is worth"