Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software consultants and software development 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 software consultant and a software development engineer. Additionally, a software development engineer has an average salary of $109,147, 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 development engineer are java, software development, and AWS.
| Software Consultant | Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $88,605 | $109,147 |
| Hourly rate | $42.60 | $52.47 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 275,746 | 356,971 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 development engineer is responsible for designing and developing software systems and applications based on clients' specifications and business needs. Software development engineers manage operating systems and analyze network codes to maintain the compatibility of the software applications and control systems. They also run diagnostic tests for every software structure to ensure smooth navigations and perform immediate troubleshooting for inconsistencies. A software development engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, as well as technological processes and analytical skills.
Software consultants and software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Consultant | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $88,605 | $109,147 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $115,000 | Between $80,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Silver Peak | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software consultant and a software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Consultant | Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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 development engineers' demographics:
| Software Consultant | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 32.7% White, 49.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |