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The differences between application consultants and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an application consultant, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $95,522 average annual salary of an application consultant.
The top three skills for an application consultant include client facing, java and CRM. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Application Consultant | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $95,522 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $45.92 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 99,368 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
The job of an application consultant is to assist and support businesses and organizations in developing technological solutions. In this role, you will be looking at the specific needs and requirements of organizations and understand their business process so you can create systems or solutions that meet their needs. Other duties include overseeing and troubleshooting existing software applications, building and implementing new software applications and programs, and providing live technical support for end-users. As an application consultant, you will also be responsible for training both customers and staff on how to use the software application.
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Application consultants and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Application Consultant | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $95,522 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $123,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Autodesk | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an application consultant and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Application Consultant | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between application consultants' and software engineers' demographics:
| Application Consultant | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 14.6% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |