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The differences between software designers and software engineers-consultant 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 designer and a software engineer-consultant. Additionally, a software engineer-consultant has an average salary of $113,987, which is higher than the $107,449 average annual salary of a software designer.
The top three skills for a software designer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a software engineer-consultant are java, python, and architecture.
| Software Designer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $107,449 | $113,987 |
| Hourly rate | $51.66 | $54.80 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 313,443 | 317,033 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Software designers transform customers' requirements into services. They analyze customers' needs, conduct negotiations, and create designs based on that data. They typically work with teams of programmers. They are also responsible for creating project documentation.
A software engineer consultant develops and recommends strategies to optimize a company's software engineering operations. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis to find new opportunities, performing software evaluations and risk assessments, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing processes, and developing solutions against problem areas. Through the findings of their research, a software engineer consultant draws conclusions and recommendations that will help the company to reach their short and long-term goals and resolve issues or concerns.
Software designers and software engineers-consultant have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Designer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average salary | $107,449 | $113,987 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $144,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Foster City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Globant | Advent Software |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a software designer and a software engineer-consultant in terms of educational background:
| Software Designer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software designers' and software engineers-consultant' demographics:
| Software Designer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.0% Female, 20.0% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% 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, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |