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The differences between software development managers and software engineers-consultant can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a software development manager, becoming a software engineer-consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a software development manager has an average salary of $134,747, which is higher than the $113,987 average annual salary of a software engineer-consultant.
The top three skills for a software development manager include java, AWS and architecture. The most important skills for a software engineer-consultant are java, python, and architecture.
| Software Development Manager | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $134,747 | $113,987 |
| Hourly rate | $64.78 | $54.80 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 265,464 | 317,033 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A software development manager is an individual who manages teams of software developers that design and create software applications and web services for clients. Software development managers should delegate duties and establish development standards for the development team as well as create a budget and timeline for the project. They must meet with management to discuss how software applications can achieve business objectives. Once the software has been developed, software development managers must train technical and non-technical end-users. They must also be skilled in different programming languages such as HTML, SQL, and JavaScript.
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 development managers and software engineers-consultant have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Manager | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average salary | $134,747 | $113,987 |
| Salary range | Between $100,000 And $180,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Foster City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Advent Software |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a software development manager and a software engineer-consultant in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Manager | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software development managers' and software engineers-consultant' demographics:
| Software Development Manager | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 8% |