I am hoping to continue with EE in some way or another. I have taken up to Trig in college but stopped since the AAS in Comp Sci didn't want anything further. I know once I go up to my BS I will get some more exposure.
My thought process for switching majors was "I know how to solder, I know how to assemble basic circuits and read/repair/troubleshoot complex ones... but I cannot program a microcontroller or user interface to save my life" so my thought was one day I would be designing my own boards with nothing to write TO the board...
First of all, thank you for your service!
As I scanned (as opposed to diligently reading) this thread, I wasn't sure whether you were heading for more Associates level programs or if you were thinking about Bachelor level. There is a HUGE difference.
If you want to learn to program microcontrollers, take a course in C. Maybe augment it with C++ because behind the scenes, most of the Arduino code is really C++. Embedded programming (programming chips to do things while buried in a product) will be done in C. Once you have C under control (if that is even possible), build something. Use timers, PWM, interrupts, ports, serial comm gadgets and whatever else the device has to offer. If nothing else, you will get really good at reading the datasheet or user manual. That is a valuable skill!
I guess I should point out that the military really likes Ada for their embedded systems. There are good reasons for this. I don't think I have ever seen a college class for Ada so I suspect you are on your own.
Computer Science is a very broad field from embedded programming, through web design, databases and all the way up to Artificial Intelligence. Very broad! Even in a Bachelor's program, they can only scratch the surface. But that's true with EE as well. There simply isn't time to specialize. That's what grad school is for.
If you are thinking about Bachelor's level degrees, think about the math requirements. Look at the curriculum for your institution. I would expect it to include Calculus I, Calculus II and Differential Equations as a minimum. The EEs will add Field Theory, Control Systems (definitely requires Laplace Transforms), Heat Transfer and Physics and all of these use a lot of math. Field Theory has its own math. Seriously, they had to invent the math to describe the fields. "Some more exposure" doesn't begin to cover it! Engineering IS math!
As to the sitting through the 60 units of nonsense, some of it really is nonsense. English, Performing Arts, History, Psychology, etc. Got to be well rounded...
Here's the trick: Take these relatively easy classes along with the more difficult classes to meld the workload. Do not just burn up all the easy courses and then have to take 12-15 units of hardcore stuff because that is all that is left.
For the hardcore courses like math, science and your chosen major, assume you will need to spend 3 hours/week per unit outside of the classroom. So, for a 15 unit course load, assume 45 hours per week doing homework. That's a bunch! The total being about 60 (45 + 15) hours. I have no idea how I made it through working 40-60 hours per week for 4 VERY long years.
Good luck with whatever program choose. And, again, thanks!