I know i posted this before, but I really don’t like my CS major at all. Not because is hard, I just simply have no interest in the subject. I understand that it will make lots of money, but I would not enjoy a CS or coding related job. My top two choices are geology or psychology. I am interested in both majors. I have taken geology 101 and geology 101 lab (right now). I have a very high interest in the subject and I am good at it as well (B+'s and A’s on exams and quizzes). My aunt is a geologist and someone else in my generation was also a geologist. So it runs in my family. I enjoy studying rocks as well as sea rise. As far as psychology, I would also like to major in that. The reason I am leaning towards geology is because it is more employable than psych. My parents are afraid that if I major in psych, I will not get a job which is another reason I am leaning towards geology instead. In short, I dislike my Computer Science major very much and would desperately want to switch. However, how do I tell my parents I want to switch without appearing like I am giving up. I am supposed to take a summer class for CS if possible. I have to register pretty soon. However, I would absolutely dislike having to take a class for a major I have no interest and have a strong dislike for. Would it be wrong for me to talk to a geology adviser on my own without telling my parents? I love my parents to death, and I appreciate that they care about my future. However, I cannot bring myself to stay in a CS major given my intense dislike for it. Any help would be appreciated. By the way, I have taken a CS class first semester and am currently enrolled in a CS class.
Did your parents force you to major in CS by telling you that they will stop contributing college money or cooperating on financial aid forms if you change?
If not, why do you think it is a big deal with them?
they are pushing towards CS. When i brought it up, they felt like i was giving up.
Do they listen to the geologist relatives?
Have a well thought out plan where you can explain your rationale for wanting to switch. You seem close to that already but I would be more organized in your presentation. Emphasize that your are running TO something, rather than away from something.
Include in your plan job prospects. Psychology is a great field if you are willing and capable of graduate work. The problem with psychology is too many expect to get a job with an undergraduate degree which isn’t realistic.
I am a parent, not a college student and I say it’s your life. Better to learn now that you don’t like your major/career path than your senior year. BTW, you don’t mention what year you are in but it seems early in college.
If you say to your parents what you’ve said here, I think they will eventually come around. It’s very clear to me, a total stranger, that CS is going to make you miserable and you shouldn’t continue majoring in it. What probably concerns your parents is that people with CS degrees can find a job in their field with only a bachelor’s degree, but there aren’t that many jobs for people with geology or psych degrees unless they continue on to grad school. So when you bring this up again, you should have in your mind some possible career path, or plans to go to grad school. That will help them see that you’ve thought this through and are serious.
Make sure you think you can do well in all the classes needed for geology (when I was in college, you needed to take chem through two semesters of organic at my college, and that is where the pre-meds are lurking and gunning for top grades). May not be true at all colleges. You might also be able to find a way to combine the two – does your college offer minors? Can you be a geology major, and a CS minor? Having some computer skills might be very useful in mapping, etc. – there may be careers that split the two.
Are you a freshman? You probably don’t have to declare until end of sophomore year, so if you are you have some breathing room. Start the geology pre-reqs (like chem) next semester, maybe take one CS class, too.
You do not have to do what your parents suggest. YOU choose your classes each semester and they have no say. So- just choose the courses that steer you towards the major you enjoy. For some just quietly doing what they want to and ending up with the degree they choose works better than telling parents everything.
You are not giving up at all by switching majors. Most entering freshmen are either undeclared or switch majors. You discovered fields you like better and discovered you do not like CS. That is part of the college process. Your entering intentions are not etched in stone. btw- it is your life and not your parents’ place to determine your adult path, regardless of who is footing the bills.
You need to tell your parents the summer CS course will not work out. There is no reason to pay for a course you no longer have any interest in. You likely will not do as well because you will not enjoy it and the grade you get will affect your gpa. If there are reasons to be in school this summer then look for a course that helps with your altered future plans. There is nothing wrong with using the summer to work and to take a break from academics to refresh your body/mind/soul.
@wis75, I totally agree with you, but it sounds like the OP has the type of parents who actually made him/her pick a major they approved of. Parents who do this type of thing are generally very controlling and might cut off funding if the student changes majors. I hope this isn’t the case.
It doesn’t matter if they think you’re giving up. It’s highly unlikely that they will withdraw funding. Have you heard of cognitive dissonance? They’ve probably invested so much into you financially that turning back and letting you drop out would be illogical. They’ll support you financially even if they bust your chops for a bit. Change your major.
@wis75, the parents are paying the bill. I expect my kids to tell me what classes they are taking and discuss any change of major (and what they plan to do with that major). My reasoning is that I want them done in 4 years (I am not paying for more!) and I want to make sure THEY have a post-graduation plan with whatever major they choose that doesn’t bring them back to my basement. So my kids wouldn’t get away with not sharing their schedule or major changes with me. But I have let them pick their majors, too.
See if your school offers cognitive / experimental psychology / user interaction or user experience design / HMI / whatever 
(so many names). It’s applied psychology into things like designing the Human Machine Interface, user experience, the works. That would tie nicely with basic CS knowledge (or more). I don’t know where OP is going to school but something like this: http://www.northeastern.edu/cos/psychology/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/07/Cognitive-Psych-Computer-Science-Combined-Major-Checklist1.pdf
Geology, not so sure due to how the energy market goes up and down.
I fully understand the part about not being into CS per se. At least you decided upon it now. My wife and I have six decades of CS experience between us, yet neither of our daughters remotely went into CS. I also have a grad degree in Human Factors Engineering (with a good number of classes out of Psychology dept).
For what it’s worth, knowing how to do some basic programming is a hugely valuable skill in either geology or psychology, both of which often involve organizing and analyzing reams of data.
Hmm… could you major in Geology (or Psychology) and minor in CS? As others have said, having some computational expertise will be a big plus if you continue in either field.
I agree with @intparent Your parents have the right to know what classes you are taking if they are footing the bill but you have the right to choose your major. Consider this the first test of your passion for a subject. If you are a freshman and can delay declaring for another year, that is another option as you determine your best long term plan.
I was not involved in the decisions made by my kids on what to major in. But I don’t necessarily see college as vocational. I have one kid who majored in CS and yes, he is doing very well financially, but my other two majored in subjects that wouldn’t seem lucrative and are doing fine, and are happy with what they are doing.
If you are a freshman, it is wonderful that you have found out early that you do not want to pursue CS. I would say try to decide on a major based on interest and your own strengths, rather than on a specific future job- and have faith things will work out.
The tendency to overplan, shown by your parents, can sometimes close doors that would otherwise be open. Life proceeds in zigs and zags, not a straight line.
Major in whatever you like and whatever you are good at, and in the meantime, do internships, volunteer, and/or work to gain experience in the work world and help you with future choices. Be open to new possibilities.
I understand your parents’ anxieties. All of us parents have them. But long term, insisting on a major that you dislike and that you don’t feel as competent in, is more than counterproductive.
p.s. The fact that relatives to geology makes me think this is not an authentic choice either. You came up with psychology yourself, so maybe that is a better course. Please realize that college major and career do not always match up. Look at craigslist and see how complex the job choices are. A bachelor’s enables you to apply to many different jobs.
I did find out the courses son chose and am pleased with his decision making. However, we parents were totally out of the loop in making those decisions (and others- he did a run around with his having a roommate in his apartment we weren’t told about…but that’s another strong willed son story). Even the year plus that son was still a minor we parents had no say in things, and rightfully so. OP- if need be there are ways of working around parents. One is to choose courses leading to the major of your choosing- especially now that you have discovered them through college courses. Ignore degree requirements for CS since you seem to dislike it. Your parents will adjust and should be pleased you have found a major instead of drifting with intro courses for a long time.
Be brave and outline your future plans with your parents. Recruit your aunt if she is willing to help your cause. You might add the psychology as a second major/minor as well. Your parents may surprise you when you present a well thought out plan for your future. As an undergrad chemistry major who prefers being the end user of computers I do understand not wishing that major while still liking science.
I also recommend that you investigate offerings in neuroscience and/or cognitive science at your university. This might provide an easier sell to your parents, especially if these programs have an artificial intelligence/CS component. The courses that you have already done in CS might count towards the major and obviously cognitive science is heavily based in psych. You could then quietly move more into the psych end of things without having “wasted” time in CS courses.
Go talk to your geo prof. There are lots of ways geology and CS can intersect that might be both interesting to you and palatable to your parents. GIS for example is quite employable. The same is probably also true for psych.
The cool thing about a CS degree is that nearly every profession needs CS people. Here are some people talking about Geology from a CS standpoint:
https://www.quora.com/How-could-one-use-a-Computer-Science-and-Geology-double-major
My husband has a masters in CS, and he rarely does coding and hasn’t for decades professionally (he loves to code so he does create some interesting stuff just for himself, though).
If I were your parent, the approach that would work the best with me is one where you’re definite about geology or psychology, and how that career track could mesh well with the classes you’ve already taken in CS.
After listening to a 30 something woman in one of my classes today talk about how many times she’s changed her major, I would not be interested in hearing something from either of my (HS aged) kids that ran along the lines of “I’d like to try taking this class because it looked interesting”. At this point, you need to have a game plan that looks good and financially do-able to the grownups.