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The differences between professional services consultants and solutions consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a professional services consultant, becoming a solutions consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a professional services consultant has an average salary of $110,145, which is higher than the $94,839 average annual salary of a solutions consultant.
The top three skills for a professional services consultant include professional services, architecture and cloud. The most important skills for a solutions consultant are pre sales, sales process, and cloud.
| Professional Services Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $110,145 | $94,839 |
| Hourly rate | $52.95 | $45.60 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 156,160 | 103,093 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 solutions consultant is an individual who has an in-depth knowledge of technology that can help a company to overcome issues, increase sales, and have a better connection with their customers. Solutions consultants are responsible for heading the installment of customized software solutions and train dealers and customer sales engineers to administer the customized solution. They represent the company by attending tradeshows and events to demonstrate their company's technology. Solutions consultants must also ensure to demonstrate technical feasibility through beta tests plus trial programs.
Professional services consultants and solutions consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Services Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Average salary | $110,145 | $94,839 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $148,000 | Between $68,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a professional services consultant and a solutions consultant in terms of educational background:
| Professional Services Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between professional services consultants' and solutions consultants' demographics:
| Professional Services Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% |
| 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, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.6% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |