This paper is a response to Steven R. Antonoff's article, "Educational Consulting: A Focus for the Profession." More than 20 years ago, when this article first appeared in "The Journal of College Admission," "for profit counselors" (as they were then called by NACAC) were not welcome partners. It was acceptable practice to publicly denigrate the motivation, training and ethics of such independent practitioners publicly at conferences, and deny them the ability to hold leadership positions in many regional associations for college admission counseling (ACACs). In that context, Antonoff's 1989 article was a genuine breakthrough, as NACAC's decision to publish the piece provided a first bit of legitimacy to the new profession. Reading the article, it is clear that Antonoff understood the importance of his writing and spoke directly to the question of legitimacy. He felt the need, for example, to explain his motivation for entering the field. He stated outright that he did not seek to undermine the work of school-based counselors, even writing that he decried "scapegoating and name calling." The balance of the article was dedicated to further justification: describing his role, denying accusations that independent educational consultants (IECs) were "packaging" students, and combating the perception that independent educational consultants were making a killing while those employed by schools questioned why anyone deserved to "be paid--for what they did for free." Today, IECs are more fully integrated into the college advising process. In recent years, IECs have headed many regional ACACs and it is now typical to find them on NACAC boards, committees and task forces. Today, independent educational consultants are developing unique specialties that make them increasingly vital to students, families and schools. In just 20 short years, the practice of independent educational consulting has moved from one of requisite justification to full partnership. Students are the beneficiaries of that change, and great college matches are the result.