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The differences between professional services consultants and functional consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a professional services consultant and a functional consultant. Additionally, a professional services consultant has an average salary of $110,145, which is higher than the $85,317 average annual salary of a functional consultant.
The top three skills for a professional services consultant include professional services, architecture and cloud. The most important skills for a functional consultant are business process, prototyping, and ERP.
| Professional Services Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $110,145 | $85,317 |
| Hourly rate | $52.95 | $41.02 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 156,160 | 51,066 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A professional services consultant supports their employer achieved short-term and long-term business needs. They provide beneficial information and analysis for upper management to use in decision making. Generally, professional services consultants may offer help in a variety of areas depending on their area of expertise. For example, a consultant with business strategy expertise may help to implement new techniques for greater cost-saving efficiency. Other professional services consultants may also assist other related businesses, such as financial planning and legal issues. Moreover, this position is mostly full time and in an office setting.
A functional consultant is responsible for supporting a team of business analysts and software engineers in designing and creating a software system and related computer applications, following the specifications of a client on their software needs. Functional consultants analyze different technological approaches, evaluate technical solutions, and utilize the best system method to meet the requirements of a client efficiently. A functional consultant performs multiple diagnostic tests to ensure the optimal performance of the system. They should also have excellent communication skills, especially in coordinating with the clients on updates and adjustments as needed.
Professional services consultants and functional consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Services Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Average salary | $110,145 | $85,317 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $148,000 | Between $65,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Workday |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a professional services consultant and a functional consultant in terms of educational background:
| Professional Services Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between professional services consultants' and functional consultants' demographics:
| Professional Services Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 14.6% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 25.2% White, 51.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |