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The differences between construction consultants and structures 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 structures engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a structures engineer has an average salary of $73,391, 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 structures engineer are structural analysis, revit, and RISA.
| Construction Consultant | Structures Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $68,461 | $73,391 |
| Hourly rate | $32.91 | $35.28 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 35,537 | 20,778 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| 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 structures engineer works in designing, planning, and overseeing the development of the latest buildings and bridges or modifications and extensions to an existing property or other structures. They are mainly concerned with the safety and capability of the structure to withstand the elements to which they will be exposed--also improving the existing building structural integrity. Part of the task is inspecting properties regarding the conditions/foundation and checking work undertaken by contractors. The job is very similarly related to a civil engineer.
Construction consultants and structures engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Construction Consultant | Structures Engineer | |
| Average salary | $68,461 | $73,391 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $98,000 | Between $54,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a construction consultant and a structures engineer in terms of educational background:
| Construction Consultant | Structures Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between construction consultants' and structures engineers' demographics:
| Construction Consultant | Structures Engineer | |
| Average age | 46 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5% | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% |
| 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, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.3% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |