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The differences between contractor/consultants and systems consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a systems consultant has an average salary of $99,659, which is higher than the $84,811 average annual salary of a contractor/consultant.
The top three skills for a contractor/consultant include healthcare, post implementation and data analysis. The most important skills for a systems consultant are infrastructure, project management, and C++.
| Contractor/Consultant | Systems Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $84,811 | $99,659 |
| Hourly rate | $40.77 | $47.91 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 64,573 | 134,337 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work. On the other hand, a consultant is a skilled independent businessperson who provides expert teaching and training in a specific market by assisting existing staff for the improvement of operations, problem-solving, and development of strategies. His/her role is to assess clients' needs and provide expert advice and opinion. However, both individuals are not employees, since they came from outside of the organization to perform such services.
A systems consultant is responsible for advising on the design, plan, and installation of information technology systems for clients. You will analyze data of an organization, determine the requirements of an information system, and define project objectives. Other duties include providing recommendations on the appropriate software, hardware, and systems, designing and installing new software, and organizing and conducting training for end-users. You will also be responsible for preparing test plans and test scripts needed for system testing.
Contractor/consultants and systems consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contractor/Consultant | Systems Consultant | |
| Average salary | $84,811 | $99,659 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $123,000 | Between $74,000 And $134,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Cerner | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Internet |
There are a few differences between a contractor/consultant and a systems consultant in terms of educational background:
| Contractor/Consultant | Systems Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between contractor/consultants' and systems consultants' demographics:
| Contractor/Consultant | Systems Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 14.6% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |