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The differences between consultant systems engineers and technical consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a consultant systems engineer, becoming a technical consultant takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a consultant systems engineer has an average salary of $112,898, which is higher than the $89,290 average annual salary of a technical consultant.
The top three skills for a consultant systems engineer include infrastructure, cloud and pre sales. The most important skills for a technical consultant are java, database, and customer service.
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Technical Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $112,898 | $89,290 |
| Hourly rate | $54.28 | $42.93 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 144,261 | 173,374 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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 technical consultant is an individual who provides technical support and performs troubleshooting functions for the company's product or application. A consultant should be highly knowledgeable about the product or application so that he/she can assist users and clients with whatever issues they may be facing. A bachelor's degree is required to work as a technical consultant, particularly a degree in Computer Science or Engineering. Also, a consultant should conduct training sessions and therefore, must possess excellent communication skills.
Consultant systems engineers and technical consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Technical Consultant | |
| Average salary | $112,898 | $89,290 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $141,000 | Between $67,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Fortinet | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a consultant systems engineer and a technical consultant in terms of educational background:
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Technical Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between consultant systems engineers' and technical consultants' demographics:
| Consultant Systems Engineer | Technical Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9% |
| 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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.3% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |