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The differences between systems consultants and senior consultants 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 senior consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior consultant has an average salary of $100,188, 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 senior consultant are healthcare, project management, and java.
| Systems Consultant | Senior Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $99,659 | $100,188 |
| Hourly rate | $47.91 | $48.17 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 134,337 | 241,206 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
Senior consultants are individual contributors whose services are tapped by the organization for guidance on specific projects. They are experienced experts in a particular field that the company operates in or would like to have projects in. They are given primers on specific projects, and they comment on the feasibility of the undertaking. Once the task is deemed feasible, senior consultants act as guides throughout the project's planning and initial implementation stages. They provide their expert opinion to ensure the success of the project.
Systems consultants and senior consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Consultant | Senior Consultant | |
| Average salary | $99,659 | $100,188 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $134,000 | Between $76,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Apple | Conning |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Finance |
There are a few differences between a systems consultant and a senior consultant in terms of educational background:
| Systems Consultant | Senior Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between systems consultants' and senior consultants' demographics:
| Systems Consultant | Senior Consultant | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1% |
| 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, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |