Draft of info graph and topic

link is here

link is here

Rationale

why it works and how it helps

The resources that I gained while creating this blog will help me in a variety of many different ways, for starters from the creativity aspect. This is my first blog and it challenged me to think outside of the box and be creative with what I wanted to say and how I wanted to format the evidence and my own opinions. This being my first time doing a blog it was challenging at first trying to figure out how I would format my work and what to include to make my blog informative but also interesting. Doing these blog posts also helped me with organization and only using what was needed and relevant for the audience to gain a clear picture of what I was trying to say. For blog posts you want to get straight to the point and leave all of the unnecessary details and things that stray from the subject out of your posts so that you do not confuse the readers. While working on my blog post the most useful sources that I used were news sources and business sources. Both these sources provided accurate statistics and had the graphs to go along with them. Finding sources was not hard but finding the right sources that could provide you with all of the data you needed became a challenge because not all sources are credible and reliable. Another challenge I had to overcome while working with my sources is finding correct graphs and tables to back up what I was saying.

I used many different multimodal’s to get my point across to my audience. The main ones I used were graphs and tables but I also tried to incorporate videos and pictures as well to keep my blog posts from being too wordy and boring. Again I am new to the whole concept of blogs so I wanted to try to be as creative as possible when using multimodals as well I wanted eye popping and colorful graphs as well as interesting videos and pictures that would keep readers entertained as well as getting my point across. The sources that I gathered related directly to my topic and usually help me gain more knowledge about the topic that I was making the blog post on.  I know that for some of the topics I choose it started out a tad bit rough when trying to find information from credible sources because some of the information did not sound correct so I had to really do a lot of research to make sure my sources were credible. 

Is it worth the time and stress?

The stress is worth the degree

Is getting your degree really worth the stress time and money you invest in a college or university? According to study.com people who earned degrees in 2015 earned $48,500 while those without degrees earned $23,900. so yes, it really is worth it in the long run. Although some people drop out of school and manage to find jobs it it shown that those who do not finish college are more likely to be unemployed long term. Although finishing school does not guarantee you a job the odds are in your favor and you are more likely to succeed in the job market with a degree than if you did not have one.

The article goes on to state that over the years the earnings of college graduates has increased and will continue to increase as time goes on.The article also states that earnings also differ as far as gender also but even this does not change the fact that college graduates on average earn more.
 

College is a stressful time not only from the loads of course work but from just trying to figure out how you are going to pay for it all, be the best student you can be and manage a social life all at the same time. But based on the statistics and findings college does pay off in the long run. Although it may seem like the most logical option to stop school and start working, if you just manage to finish and get your degree. 

Is it worth it

An article published by American Radio works goes further in depth about the different statistics of higher education. 

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The graph above from American Radio works shows the value of higher education and how the job market is revolving around the graduation rates of college students. By the graph above shows that more available jobs for those with degrees will increase dramatically by the year 2018. 

Blog 3: The business of college sports

Pay for play, why not?

The ever growing debate of "should college athletes be paid"has become an interesting topic in today's society and quite frankly, they should. It is known that college athletics generates millions in revenue and this would not be possible without the athletes themselves. Yes these athletes spend countless hours perfecting their craft to bring there school money and championships but the question still arises of what is the athlete getting out of it? According to Listland college athletes should not be paid because they spend almost as much money as they generate. The example that they use is the University of auburn constructing a mega screen that is 11,000 square feet, high definition and can be seen from 30 miles away. The total cost of this was 13.9 million, and you ask yourself was this screen really needed? College sports like college is a business everyone wants the newest and biggest products to bring in fans and keep the money train flowing. But you never see a business that does not pay its employees. College athletes spend more time on the field then some full time employees do at their jobs, but still are not required to be paid for their play.

some argue that college athletes should not be paid because they are on full scholarships and everything is paid for so all they have to worry about is being good at their sport but this is incorrect. Believe it or not all college athletes do not receive full scholarships , and on top of that some college athletes don't receive scholarships at all. Outside of sports these athletes do have lives and some have responsibilities and even bills and with practice and school, there is little time for a job. These collegiate programs are generating millions of dollars from the hard work of athletes and not giving them anything of the profit that is gained. Below is a graph from Business Insider of different schools and the amount of money individual sports brought in.

What do stats and reports tell us about the college dropout rate

The Ugly Truth about dropout statistics

Based on statistics The United states has the highest dropout rate in the developed world according to Business Insider. In 2008 55 percent of undergraduates received their degree over a 6 year span. In my opinion there are many reasons that students dropout but the main is the cost of attending a college or university. As stated in the statistics from College Atlas 40% of college students have parents who did not go to college and 50% of college dropouts made less than $35,000 a year, not much motivation if you ask me.



 College is a business and like all businesses it runs off of money, the money you invest in the school pays for you to go to school of course but it also helps the school run. Personally i think that higher education is very expensive and for some people it is not worth the cost that's why they feel that dropping out and going into the working world is the best option for them . The cost of attending a college or university is steadily rising and my prediction is that future generations will be less inclined to stay in school because of the ridiculous cost of attending. Although i understand that colleges need the money to run, what i do not understand is why so much money is needed from each student yearly on an increasing basis. If there is a noticeable dropout rate due to the cost you would think that there would be a plan or methods implemented to curve the steadily increasing dropout rates. And according to the statistics as costs keep rising so will the amount of students that don't finish college.Looking at numerous graphs its very clear that the ever present cost of just attending college is more of a burden to students then any other factor, the group of students it seems to have the highest effect on are underclassman specifically incoming freshman. Although not shown in the info graphic above, incoming freshman and first year students are the most likely to drop out of college. The data that i gathered does not directly translate their dropping out to cost but from statistics of college students in general, we can assume that cost plays a role in this factor.

This chart from education reform now just depicts the graduation rates over a 6 year period of different colleges.

Blog 1: What is college for?

College is a place for higher learning and for one to grow as a person and develop into the person that they will be for the rest of their lives. College is a time of growth and and experiencing new things that also help you grow as a person.

Many people just view college as a place that you go after high school to further your education and eventually get a job, this is true in a sense but this is not the only thing that colleges provide. As an incoming freshman, to any institution you are entering a world of new opportunities and many new activities and groups that you may not have been exposed to in high school. On a college campus you can find people from all walks of life, with different beliefs and cultures all coming together in the same learning environment bringing their own experiences and traditions, and it is this diversity that makes college so special and unique.

For most jobs these days after school they require more then just a a high GPA. Many jobs require experience and extra curricular activities and the graph below shows the importance of attributes when jobs are evaluating college graduates for hire.

Colleges & Majors

What people think of most when they think of college is that it is still in fact school and that you have to do tons of work and its just like high school where you are forced to sit through classes that you don't have interest in. College offers many different majors and topics for you to choose from so that you find something you enjoy study, College is built around you and your ambitions and by having so many majors they try to help you find what you are interested in so that college is a place of learning but also a place you can grow.

Higher Education and student athletes

Do we really have time?

Should athletes be given more free time during the school year and an extended off-season?

Some experts argue that they should and this in itself will improve the overall well being of the student athlete. An article done by Inside Higher Ed says that athletes complain that they do not have enough time due to sports and practice. The article mainly focuses on the off-season that athletes get when there sports isn't active and they do not have games, but many say that they work just as much in the off-season as they do in the regular season if not more. For collegiate coaches the off-season is a time to push your athletes to prepare for the upcoming season, but since there are not any games that have to be played some coaches take advantage and overwork their athletes. Although athletes are not required to come to certain things coaches find ways to punish athletes that don't show up so in a way they make them mandatory. 

Division I Men

Sport Athletic hours

• Baseball 42.1
• Basketball 39.2
• Football (FBS) 43.3
• Football (FCS) 41.6
• Other sports 32.0

Division II Men

• Baseball 39.0
• Basketball 37.7
• Football 37.5
• Other sports 31.3

Division III Men

• Baseball 34.8
• Basketball 30.8
• Football 33.1
• Other sports 29.2

Division I Women

Sport Athletic hours

• Basketball 37.6
• Other sports 33.3
• Students athletes are required to fulfill a minimum amount of time doing activities for their sports and usually these leaves little time for being a student, or having a life outside of sports. Division 1 sports spend the majority of their time on the field and not in classroom which is why some experts say that the student aspect of "student-athlete" is diminishing entirely. As a student athlete I can attest that balancing school and sports is not an easy task. Although they try to create ways to help you it is still a very daunting task even for those who have good time management skills. 

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Higher Education and student athletes

Should athletes be given more free time during the school year and an extended offseason?

Some experts argue that they should and this in itself will improve the overall well being of the student athlete. 

Division I Men

Sport Athletic hours

• Baseball 42.1
• Basketball 39.2
• Football (FBS) 43.3
• Football (FCS) 41.6
• Other sports 32.0

Division II Men

• Baseball 39.0
• Basketball 37.7
• Football 37.5
• Other sports 31.3

Division III Men

• Baseball 34.8
• Basketball 30.8
• Football 33.1
• Other sports 29.2

Division I Women

Sport Athletic hours

• Basketball 37.6
• Other sports 33.3
• Students athletes are required to fulfill a minimum amount of time doing activities for their sports and usually these leaves little time for being a student, or having a life outside of sports. Division 1 sports spend the majority of their time on the field and not in classroom which is why some experts say that the student aspect of "student-athlete" is diminishing entirely. 

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