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The differences between advanced software engineers and software engineers-consultant can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an advanced software engineer and a software engineer-consultant. Additionally, a software engineer-consultant has an average salary of $113,987, which is higher than the $101,121 average annual salary of an advanced software engineer.
The top three skills for an advanced software engineer include java, python and linux. The most important skills for a software engineer-consultant are java, python, and architecture.
| Advanced Software Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $101,121 | $113,987 |
| Hourly rate | $48.62 | $54.80 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 263,252 | 317,033 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An advanced software engineer plans, designs, and develops software according to customers' requirements. They work with a company's IT branch. A software engineer's responsibility is to ensure that an application, software, or program is free from bugs, has a user-friendly user interface, and performs what it is programmed to do. They are also responsible for updates and troubleshooting after software is released.
A software engineer consultant develops and recommends strategies to optimize a company's software engineering operations. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis to find new opportunities, performing software evaluations and risk assessments, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing processes, and developing solutions against problem areas. Through the findings of their research, a software engineer consultant draws conclusions and recommendations that will help the company to reach their short and long-term goals and resolve issues or concerns.
Advanced software engineers and software engineers-consultant have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Advanced Software Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average salary | $101,121 | $113,987 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $126,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Foster City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | Advent Software |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between an advanced software engineer and a software engineer-consultant in terms of educational background:
| Advanced Software Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between advanced software engineers' and software engineers-consultant' demographics:
| Advanced Software Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 31.4% White, 50.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |