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The differences between information technology managers and information technology consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an information technology manager, becoming an information technology consultant takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an information technology manager has an average salary of $119,589, which is higher than the $84,790 average annual salary of an information technology consultant.
The top three skills for an information technology manager include customer service, project management and database. The most important skills for an information technology consultant are customer service, database, and project management.
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $119,589 | $84,790 |
| Hourly rate | $57.49 | $40.76 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 108,179 | 142,475 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
An information technology manager is responsible for supervising tasks for the company's network and information systems operations. Information technology managers require excellent knowledge of the information systems industry, a strong command of programming languages, and software and hardware application processes. An information technology manager reviews the performance of the IT department staff, ensuring that networks and systems maintain the highest quality and efficiency, and adjusting the specific system updates as needed. Information technology managers monitor the security of the system's database and identify business opportunities to utilize all business systems to improve the company's services.
An Information Technology Consultant, also known as IT Consultant, is responsible for sharing extensive knowledge of Information Technology by providing suggestions and solving issues within the company. Among the duties include installing and maintaining the necessary software and hardware, designing new procedures, overseeing all implementations, and ensuring that all systems are running smoothly, employing methods to secure databases, and providing essential instructions when needed. Furthermore, an Information Technology Consultant needs to coordinate and report to management or supervisors at all times.
Information technology managers and information technology consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Average salary | $119,589 | $84,790 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $169,000 | Between $62,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | California Resources |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an information technology manager and an information technology consultant in terms of educational background:
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between information technology managers' and information technology consultants' demographics:
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Consultant | |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |