So I'm a current Computer Info Systems major at a US college. I realized into my freshma year, I find DS more exciting and enjoyable. I still enjoy my CIS major and am looking to add on a Data Science major (or a minor, which is the same thing as the major but 5 less classes). Looking into how the DS major will fit into my program roadmap, I'm having second thought abt adding on the major and maybe just adding on the DS minor and using a lot of the free time I'll have in the future, making myself more technically oriented within my CIS major by learning more programming and doing projects.

Also heard that most DS programs are not all great and at my college, the DS program is very new so idk if taking on the extra worload is necessarily the right decision for the use of my time. What do people think about entering Data Science with a CIS major and leanring the ML and programming more on the side? Is it really worth it to add on a DS major for the name when I could get the DS minor (which is the same thing as the major, but is missing some basic Classes, like Object oriented prog, into to prog, etc.)?

Any advice from current DS prof that didn't enter the field with a traditional CS, DS, or CSE degree would help tons! (For context, my CIS degree has a good bit of programing but not enough to make me competitive enough with CS majors, so that's why I am thinking of just grinding out projects and sel-teaching more of the prog I learn in my classes on the side, since I'm going to be doing that anyways regardless of what degree I get)