Considering changing majors ..

My current declared major is Associate of Arts, which is just a transferable version of general education. I am currently taking English 101 and Psychology 101. In my heart and mind, I don't want to commit to taking Associate of Arts, but I don't know what the repercussions of changing a major, and I'm not even sure what major I want to change to yet. There are so many options out there, and I want something actually career related. Not just "Oh this seems like fun to learn". What I'd like to know is..

What faults did you experience after changing a major?

What major did you change and why.

When is a good time to change majors?

I'm a first time college student, so i hope I still have time to change majors, but I'm a little stuck with it. I don't really want to stay with AA, but I don't know what to pick. I like to cook. Culinary or pastry arts would be an option, but it seems like working in a restaurant would be a unpleasant experience...And I'm avoiding any web or graphics related majors because ef that noise..

I have tons load of anxiety even thinking about changing majors, but I feel that maybe I should do it rather than try to "make do" with my major I have now. I had that same attitude when I was in highschool. I went to a technical school, and majored in web design. I didn't even consider changing it to something different. Even though I enjoyed it for the most part, I regret that I didn't even try to look at other vocations.

If you want to change your major, do it now, not later. I changed my major extremely late in the game (second semester "junior" year -- chronologically it was that semester, but I had taken a semester off, so credits-wise it was first semester junior year). Doing that was a challenge. I had to go through various hoops to get some classes to count towards my major that weren't part of the curriculum and had to reorganize my schedule...don't do it as late as I did!

That being said, I'm very happy that I changed my major. I would have been absolutely miserable if I hadn't. And, better late than never! I started out as a nursing major, sure as anything that I wanted to be a nurse, but throughout my entire freshman year I had doubts, and then, after my first semester sophomore year, when I did clinicals for the first time, as much as I liked nursing and was good at it, I didn't love it, and when it came to being completely honest with myself, I realized that my heart just wasn't in it. I'm now a psychology major, which was actually my second choice when it came to a new major, but it has proven to be a good choice.

I will say this though, absolutely do not choose a major just because it will lead to a career. Especially since unless you major in something like nursing, there is no guarantee. My biggest piece of advice is to major in something you enjoy! There's no sense in making yourself miserable!

I changed majors my senior year of college; actually graduated with more credits in my first major than in the one I got my degree in; I went back to school and 35 years later got another degree in my first major :-) My advice is to follow your heart/interests, wherever they lead. You cannot "plan" for the future, what you will be interested in then, what you will be able to get a job doing, who or where you will be, etc.

If you think it would be a good idea to get a "practical" degree you think you could get a job with, then figure out what you would like to study (computers? nursing? HVAC repair?) and give it a try, see if you like that. It is never too late to change, never too late to start over; it's your life, you can do whatever you want! There's no script.

Oh I really don't think you need to worry about that, do you? I mean things may have changed but generally after two years of college one does have an AA... in one fashion or another.

BTW I changed my majors between my master and doctorate degrees

I will change my major to Pastry Arts. I've never disliked baking or cooking, and I don't want to stick with web development or computer related stuff because everyone expects that from me, and I just want to go into something new, even if it's scary. I naturally have fears thinking "what if I can't handle working in a restaurant?" but I want to take the plunge, honestly.

If you want to, then do it. The worst that will happen is that you decide you want to change your mind again, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. The average student changes their major at least twice, so it's really no big deal.

I'm not sure when the right time is to change my major though, or how to go about doing it. Maybe I need to meet with a counselor? My first day of college was on August 26th, 2013. I'm focusing on basics so far.

This is what was recommended to me by an advisor once.....

Is it possible to take a class in some of the other degrees/majors you are in interested in before making the change, or are you required to be in the that degree plan before you can take specific classes? I know some colleges do require that, others you can take whatever classes whenever. If whenever, add one into to your base of core classes to try one out in the new field you are interested in and see how it goes, how you like it. That way you are still getting your core classes that fit for any field to make progress and can also find out if there is something else out there for you that you like better.

If you have to be in the particular degree plan, talk to someone in the department to get more information about the field and classes; if still interested, see about changing. It is an easy process that can be done at any time most places.

Change it as soon as you've made your decision. There's no reason not to. Definitely meet with your advisor and talk with them. Maybe even meet with the chair of the department of your new major. I know at my school, in order to change majors, you need to meet with both your advisor AND your new department chair and get permission from them.

I'm supposed to meet with a specified counselor at some point during this semester, but I have anxiety walking to the campus. It's about 30 minutes of walking, but I'm not all that familiar with the streets in this area. I guess I'll just have to do it..

Can you Google Map it? That's what I do when I'm going somewhere unfamiliar. Or is there a bus that you can take?

Yeah, I found directions on Google maps for it... I've had terrible luck with buses so I avoid those when I can. I would just have to buckle down and walk there, maybe accompanied with someone so I can at least have someone there with me.

Taking someone along is a good idea.

When I first got a job at Target my mom walked with me to take the bus to the area where Target was. Hopefully she'll be down with walking with me to the campus too ..

I bet she will be

I can't tell you what you should do, especially since I don't know you personally, but I can answer your questions if it will help.

What faults did you experience after changing a major?
Some of the courses that I had worked hard in to get a good grade no longer counted for anything but personal satisfaction.
Also it meant 2.5 more years of school.

What major did you change and why.
I changed from an honors biology program to an honors cognitive science / artificial intelligence program with an option for a work term (get to work directly in the field while you learn). I switched because while I had good grades I found out from a professor that the kind of job I wanted in the field had been replaced by computer desk job work. I was also concerned about the animal experimentation that was required of me. I lost interest.

With my new program I don't know if I'll stay in it as it is too "arty" for me; I'm used to "sciency". I may go for straight neuroscience or straight computer science I don't know. I do know that I need to figure this stuff out soon though.

When is a good time to change majors?
As soon as you are sure you don't like your current major and can't see yourself doing it for another x number of years. If you absolutely hate it, get out asap. Stop wasting money on something you don't care about. If you don't know what else to do you can work or take time off for a while and go back. It's not a big deal. I say that because I know a lot of people who felt they had to go thorough "on time" and finish a degree in 3-4 years - you don't have to! There is no rule, at least at the universities I have been at and applied to. There's no shame in leaving one major for another.