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The differences between systems consultants and consultant systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a systems consultant, becoming a consultant systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a consultant systems engineer has an average salary of $112,898, which is higher than the $99,659 average annual salary of a systems consultant.
The top three skills for a systems consultant include infrastructure, project management and C++. The most important skills for a consultant systems engineer are infrastructure, cloud, and pre sales.
| Systems Consultant | Consultant Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,659 | $112,898 |
| Hourly rate | $47.91 | $54.28 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 134,337 | 144,261 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A systems consultant is responsible for advising on the design, plan, and installation of information technology systems for clients. You will analyze data of an organization, determine the requirements of an information system, and define project objectives. Other duties include providing recommendations on the appropriate software, hardware, and systems, designing and installing new software, and organizing and conducting training for end-users. You will also be responsible for preparing test plans and test scripts needed for system testing.
A consultant systems engineer specializes in designing and developing systems to optimize business operations, recommending solutions against problem areas. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data to identify the needs of operations, designing prototypes and test structures, performing research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, assessing existing systems to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and establishing guidelines. Moreover, a consultant systems engineer must maintain an active communication line with staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Systems consultants and consultant systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Consultant | Consultant Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,659 | $112,898 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $134,000 | Between $90,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Fortinet |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a systems consultant and a consultant systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Systems Consultant | Consultant Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between systems consultants' and consultant systems engineers' demographics:
| Systems Consultant | Consultant Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 14.6% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 12.7% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |