How is a "Software Developer" different from a "Software Consultant"? What makes a consultant?

Posted by Kumar on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by Kumar
Published on 2011-05-16T18:50:47Z Indexed on 2013/07/03 17:18 UTC
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I have seen a lot of people claiming themselves to be a "software consultant". These consultants do what a normal software developer does, write code, estimate tasks, fix bugs and attend meetings etc. The only difference being the financials, consultants end up earning more. Then how is a software developer different from a "consultant"?

In addition to the main question, I would like to know how can a software developer become a consultant? Are there any specific guidelines for a consultant? Do they need to amass certifications and write up research papers? Please do not confuse the software consultant with a management consultant. Software consultants I have seen are not managers.

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