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The differences between software consultants and software testers 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 tester. Additionally, a software consultant has an average salary of $88,605, which is higher than the $78,580 average annual salary of a software tester.
The top three skills for a software consultant include web application, database and java. The most important skills for a software tester are test results, regression, and test scripts.
| Software Consultant | Software Tester | |
| Yearly salary | $88,605 | $78,580 |
| Hourly rate | $42.60 | $37.78 |
| Growth rate | 21% | - |
| Number of jobs | 275,746 | 208,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| 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.
The responsibility of software testers involves the quality assurance of software development and deployment. Software testers conduct manual and automated tests to make sure that the software is developed for its purpose. They remove the issues and bugs within a product before deployment to users. Their responsibilities include software and systems analysis, risk mitigation, and software-related issue prevention. They should have skills in automation, programming, social networking, logical thinking, and mobile and web technology.
Software consultants and software testers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Consultant | Software Tester | |
| Average salary | $88,605 | $78,580 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $115,000 | Between $61,000 And $100,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Silver Peak | Nordstrom |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software consultant and a software tester in terms of educational background:
| Software Consultant | Software Tester | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between software consultants' and software testers' demographics:
| Software Consultant | Software Tester | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |