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The differences between senior security consultants and 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 senior security consultant, becoming a consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior security consultant has an average salary of $120,769, which is higher than the $78,912 average annual salary of a consultant.
The top three skills for a senior security consultant include cloud security, infrastructure and governance. The most important skills for a consultant are customer service, strong analytical, and project management.
| Senior Security Consultant | Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $120,769 | $78,912 |
| Hourly rate | $58.06 | $37.94 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 66,226 | 171,733 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A senior security consultant is an information technology (IT) expert specializing in establishing security protocols and systems to protect a company's data and network. Their responsibilities revolve around performing internal research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current IT security systems, recommending solutions to problem areas, and suggesting new tools and techniques to improve data security. Furthermore, as a senior security consultant, it is essential to monitor the company's systems and networks and promptly respond to any breaches, conducting corrective and preventive measures to prevent it from ever happening again.
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
Senior security consultants and consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Security Consultant | Consultant | |
| Average salary | $120,769 | $78,912 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $159,000 | Between $58,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Amazon | L.E.K. Consulting |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior security consultant and a consultant in terms of educational background:
| Senior Security Consultant | Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior security consultants' and consultants' demographics:
| Senior Security Consultant | Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.8% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 12% |