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The differences between construction consultants and civil engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a construction consultant, becoming a civil engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a civil engineer has an average salary of $70,950, which is higher than the $68,461 average annual salary of a construction consultant.
The top three skills for a construction consultant include construction management, general contractors and cost estimates. The most important skills for a civil engineer are civil 3d, engineering design, and cost estimates.
| Construction Consultant | Civil Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $68,461 | $70,950 |
| Hourly rate | $32.91 | $34.11 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 35,537 | 26,803 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
Construction consultants are experts in the construction industry that offer their clients advice on architecture, contracts, project management, etc. These consultants provide definitions of what projects entail, advise how to set up projects, and inspect the contractor's work. They need strong communication skills, business skills, and teamwork skills to do their jobs efficiently. Their job is to inspect every phase of a project to ensure that they follow the agreed design and to approve or deny changes before they are applied.
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
Construction consultants and civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Construction Consultant | Civil Engineer | |
| Average salary | $68,461 | $70,950 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $98,000 | Between $51,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Construction |
There are a few differences between a construction consultant and a civil engineer in terms of educational background:
| Construction Consultant | Civil Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Business | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between construction consultants' and civil engineers' demographics:
| Construction Consultant | Civil Engineer | |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 70.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |