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The differences between test engineers 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 test engineer and a software engineer-consultant. Additionally, a software engineer-consultant has an average salary of $113,987, which is higher than the $79,832 average annual salary of a test engineer.
The top three skills for a test engineer include python, C++ and C #. The most important skills for a software engineer-consultant are java, python, and architecture.
| Test Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $79,832 | $113,987 |
| Hourly rate | $38.38 | $54.80 |
| Growth rate | - | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 228,974 | 317,033 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Test engineers are professionals who observe and record the quality of products, which includes functionality, durability, speed, and safety. They are responsible for checking the materials and procedures thoroughly throughout the production cycle. It is their duty to run tests on different criteria to identify and fix technical issues. They analyze reactions to determine the causes of malfunctions and recommend potential improvements. Moreover, they test products before they are launched to ensure customers get high-quality and functional products.
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.
Test engineers and software engineers-consultant have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Test Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average salary | $79,832 | $113,987 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $104,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Foster City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Advent Software |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a test engineer and a software engineer-consultant in terms of educational background:
| Test Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between test engineers' and software engineers-consultant' demographics:
| Test Engineer | Software Engineer-Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% | 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% |