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The differences between consultants and application consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a consultant, becoming an application consultant takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an application consultant has an average salary of $95,522, which is higher than the $78,912 average annual salary of a consultant.
The top three skills for a consultant include customer service, strong analytical and project management. The most important skills for an application consultant are client facing, java, and CRM.
| Consultant | Application Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $78,912 | $95,522 |
| Hourly rate | $37.94 | $45.92 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 171,733 | 99,368 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
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.
Consultants and application consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Consultant | Application Consultant | |
| Average salary | $78,912 | $95,522 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $107,000 | Between $74,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | L.E.K. Consulting | Autodesk |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a consultant and an application consultant in terms of educational background:
| Consultant | Application Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between consultants' and application consultants' demographics:
| Consultant | Application Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 8% |