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The differences between data engineers and software engineers-consultant can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a data engineer and a software engineer-consultant. Additionally, a software engineer-consultant has an average salary of $113,987, which is higher than the $109,675 average annual salary of a data engineer.
The top three skills for a data engineer include python, java and cloud. The most important skills for a software engineer-consultant are java, python, and architecture.
| Data Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $109,675 | $113,987 |
| Hourly rate | $52.73 | $54.80 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 303,105 | 317,033 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A data engineer is someone who makes data science possible. This IT job requires the search for data set trends and algorithm development to make raw data more beneficial to the enterprise. Data engineers are responsible for establishing and maintaining an environment that permits other data functions. The necessary skills for the job include in-depth knowledge of multiple programming languages and SQL database design. Among the other skills data engineers should develop include data warehousing and architecture, data mining and modeling, and statistical regression analysis.
A software engineer consultant develops and recommends strategies to optimize a company's software engineering operations. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis to find new opportunities, performing software evaluations and risk assessments, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing processes, and developing solutions against problem areas. Through the findings of their research, a software engineer consultant draws conclusions and recommendations that will help the company to reach their short and long-term goals and resolve issues or concerns.
Data engineers and software engineers-consultant have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Data Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average salary | $109,675 | $113,987 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $149,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Foster City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Advent Software |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a data engineer and a software engineer-consultant in terms of educational background:
| Data Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between data engineers' and software engineers-consultant' demographics:
| Data Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.5% Female, 18.5% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 30.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |