Post job

Management consultant vs software engineer

The differences between management consultants and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a management consultant and a software engineer. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $99,360 average annual salary of a management consultant.

The top three skills for a management consultant include healthcare, project management and portfolio. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.

Management consultant vs software engineer overview

Management ConsultantSoftware Engineer
Yearly salary$99,360$100,260
Hourly rate$47.77$48.20
Growth rate11%21%
Number of jobs153,045339,938
Job satisfaction-3.5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4439
Years of experience44

What does a management consultant do?

A management consultant's responsibility focuses on conducting an in-depth analysis of a company or business, including its target market. Through their findings, they can devise strategies that will help the business grow and attain a significant profit. There are also instances when a management consultant must solve particular issues that will require them to investigate the problem, assess damages, identify risks, and recommend the best solutions to take. Furthermore, a management consultant must adhere to the company's vision, mission, and policies at all times.

What does a software engineer do?

A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.

Management consultant vs software engineer salary

Management consultants and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Management ConsultantSoftware Engineer
Average salary$99,360$100,260
Salary rangeBetween $72,000 And $136,000Between $73,000 And $136,000
Highest paying CityJersey City, NJSan Bruno, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleThe Citadel
Best paying industryTechnologyStart-up

Differences between management consultant and software engineer education

There are a few differences between a management consultant and a software engineer in terms of educational background:

Management ConsultantSoftware Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityHarvard University

Management consultant vs software engineer demographics

Here are the differences between management consultants' and software engineers' demographics:

Management ConsultantSoftware Engineer
Average age4439
Gender ratioMale, 65.9% Female, 34.1%Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 13.6% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage12%8%

Differences between management consultant and software engineer duties and responsibilities

Management consultant example responsibilities.

  • Streamline and program manage operations for end-to-end creation of all assets using Smartsheet.
  • Lead daily agile scrum meetings towards the end of the development phase of the project.
  • Monitor and control project schedule for SaaS product to achieve project deliveries in at least 95th percentile.
  • Lead teams in implementation of value map streaming, ISO 9000 and waste reduction in manufacturing process.
  • Manage functional design team activities using baseline scope document information and develop process standards in line with SDLC methodologies.
  • Develop light-weight (fast) proprietary cloud-base licensing engine and UI to manage and track end user subscription licenses.
  • Show more

Software engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage product releases, solve software bugs in a client/server environment, write UNIX shell scripts to manage development environments.
  • Manage responsive UI design, implementing complex, dynamic functionality.
  • Define continuous integration process and configure Jenkins build server to manage it.
  • Develop a python serial communication program to automate test procedures and verify proper operation.
  • Manage website/software/mobile applications by generating full scope requirements base upon PMI / SDLC guidance.
  • Contribute to implementing microservices used to manage entities and maintain a synchronize state between supplier and distributor.
  • Show more

Management consultant vs software engineer skills

Common management consultant skills
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Portfolio, 6%
  • Business Process, 5%
  • Business Strategy, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%
Common software engineer skills
  • Java, 15%
  • Python, 9%
  • Software Development, 6%
  • Database, 3%
  • GIT, 3%
  • Object Oriented Programming, 3%

Browse business and financial jobs