While there is definitely no substitute for experience and maturity when it comes to professional software consulting, one must understand that the software industry changes constantly. In addition, the "schools of thought" at work in software engineering also shift, constantly looking for better results, more predictable software project outcomes, faster solution delivery, etc. What this means to the buyer of software consulting, is that younger software consultants can provide more value and "out of the box" thinking, while older consultants may have a better "customer relationship" component.