About Me — K.J. Manning
Mega-nerd: psychology, gaming, technology, data, and who knows what else
I am a nerd. That is really the long and the short of things.
Past-Me
I was born and raised in South Florida, home of Florida Man, hurricanes, and alligators. One of my earliest memories is losing power during Hurricane Andrew after my grandma made my dad a crock-pot full of spaghetti since he had to work during the storm.
The only three years of my life where I wasn’t residing in some portion of Florida were spent in Kentucky. Some of my neighbors thought I was a witch due to my (admittedly limited) ability to speak Spanish and inability to understand what I was saying even when speaking English because of my speed. Yup, a witch. They thought I was casting spells when they couldn’t understand me. I wish I were joking.
Recent-Me
I have a Master’s degree in Applied Experimental Psychology, the fancy name for research psychology. I studied social and neuropsychology — human behavior and the brain. So, I am a nerd for anything related to why we do what we do and why the brain does what it does.
In terms of random past fun, I spent four years working as a clinical neuropsychometrist. If you ever want a job title that confuses everyone, go for that. That is the fancy way of saying I worked in a mental health office testing people who potentially (or definitely) had sustained some form of head trauma or had been diagnosed with a degenerating illness like Multiple Sclerosis or Alzheimer’s. If you’ve ever heard about IQ testing (or seen informal versions of it), that is basically what I did, just more detailed .
I participated in clinical drug trials for prospective dementia medications through my job, conducting cognitive assessments to track patient changes throughout the studies. Seeing behind the scenes of how drugs are assessed for efficacy is a really enlightening thing.
Current-Me
Currently, I work as a research analyst for a local consulting firm. So, I spend my days playing in data and report writing. I get to work with local school districts and community organizations to help them evaluate opinions, progress, or effects of interventions on goals.
After reading for a bit, I became interested in Medium as an outlet for my random desire to write less formally than reports require. Not to mention a chance to write about my random interests.
In terms of interests, I’m a nerd. Besides data, I love video games, tech, psychology, science, musicals, and probably some extra things I can’t think of. I love learning about new ideas and subjects, so I will venture out to try other topics as well.
I have a fledgling Etsy shop that sells printable templates (click here if you want to check it out). I am currently on hiatus for developing new printables (juggling two side hustles is too much for me right now), but I am always in the market for new ideas.
Thanks for joining me on this rambling journey!
