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The differences between consultant systems engineers and desktop engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a consultant systems engineer and a desktop engineer. Additionally, a consultant systems engineer has an average salary of $112,898, which is higher than the $102,893 average annual salary of a desktop engineer.
The top three skills for a consultant systems engineer include infrastructure, cloud and pre sales. The most important skills for a desktop engineer are customer service, SCCM, and troubleshoot.
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $112,898 | $102,893 |
| Hourly rate | $54.28 | $49.47 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 144,261 | 87,458 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A consultant systems engineer specializes in designing and developing systems to optimize business operations, recommending solutions against problem areas. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data to identify the needs of operations, designing prototypes and test structures, performing research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, assessing existing systems to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and establishing guidelines. Moreover, a consultant systems engineer must maintain an active communication line with staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A desktop engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and performance of computer systems across the organization to deliver high-performance on business operations and client specifications. Desktop engineers resolve computer desktop issues, including navigation and security complications that create delays in the operational process. They conduct regular maintenance with the computer systems, upgrade network infrastructure, and perform configuration to ensure smooth functionality and resolutions. A desktop engineer should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, recommending system solutions to avoid the reoccurrence of network issues and glitches.
Consultant systems engineers and desktop engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average salary | $112,898 | $102,893 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $141,000 | Between $77,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Fortinet | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a consultant systems engineer and a desktop engineer in terms of educational background:
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between consultant systems engineers' and desktop engineers' demographics:
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 12.7% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 13.6% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |