Other than mere semantics, what is the actual difference between consequentialism and virtue ethics?

My study of ethics is mostly limited to what I’ve read in this sub (consequentialism good, deontology bad), and my first year university ethics class (consequentialism good, virtue ethics good, deontology bad), and the mere handful of books I’ve read on the topic. <br><br>From my reading it seems that the easiest way to summarize the difference is that consequentialism is forward looking, and virtue ethics is backward. Consequentialism starts with an idea of what the world should be, and works backward to determine the proper actions that lead there. Virtue ethics starts with the actions we take, and works forward to find the idea of what the world should be. <br><br>I guess my question is this: does one lead to the other, and if so, is it somewhat arbitrary to argue which one should get the credit?