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The differences between software consultants and software architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software consultant and a software architect. Additionally, a software architect has an average salary of $114,406, which is higher than the $88,605 average annual salary of a software consultant.
The top three skills for a software consultant include web application, database and java. The most important skills for a software architect are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Software Consultant | Software Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $88,605 | $114,406 |
| Hourly rate | $42.60 | $55.00 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 275,746 | 319,594 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A software consultant is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the technological content and system applications of an organization, ensuring its efficiency and optimal performance. Software consultants design software systems, following clients' specifications and business needs. They must have excellent knowledge of the technology systems, programming languages, and system codes to create software processes and manage the network systems. A software consultant runs multiple diagnostic tests and creates troubleshooting reports for technical support reference.
A Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.
Software consultants and software architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Consultant | Software Architect | |
| Average salary | $88,605 | $114,406 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $115,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Silver Peak | Aspiration |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a software consultant and a software architect in terms of educational background:
| Software Consultant | Software Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software consultants' and software architects' demographics:
| Software Consultant | Software Architect | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |