Some aspiring comedians start their stand-up careers with visions of fame and glory, but for Penn State student Devin O'Connor, it's all about the cash.

"I was always kind of a goof off in high school," O'Connor (sophomore-theatre) said. "So I decided, why not make some money out of it?"

So far O'Connor's career has been successful; in addition to being the headline comedian for shows at Yale University and University of Pittsburgh, he also recently won the Comic Strip Live Comic of the Month Contest in New York City.

However, O'Connor said he's ready to break into the local scene of State College.

"I like college shows because my type of comedy goes over well there," O'Connor said.

His material consists mainly of observational humor, paired off with the occasional "off-colored" drinking story.

"A lot of comedians just tell jokes, but mine are stories. They're a lot more energetic and physical," O'Connor said. "If I'm sweating at the end of the night, then I know I've done a good job."

O'Connor's high-energy sense of humor started back in grade school, longtime friend Kevin Scheler (junior-kinesiology) said.

"He didn't really come out of his shell until junior year, but after that he was the big class clown," Scheler said.

O'Connor even started to use his comedic talents as motivation for his high school basketball team.

"He used to go to all of our basketball games in some ridiculous costume," Scheler said. "At first it was just a joke, but by the end of the year, he was sort of our unofficial cheerleader because he really got the crowds going."

Jason Yanushonis (freshman-finance), another high school friend, said O'Connor brings his sense of energetic humor with him everywhere.

"You never know what to expect from him," Yanushonis said. "He's that guy that everyone wants to show up at the party because he makes it so much fun."

Yanushon also said O'Connor's type of humor reminded him of Jerry Seinfeld's; while O'Connor said he really models himself after Saturday Night Live comedian Jim Breuer. "I got to meet him a couple times, and I learned a lot from what he had to say," O'Connor said.

He also was able to meet up with another one of his role models, Comedy Central comedian Jim Gaffigan.

After some communication back and forth, O'Connor plans to tour colleges across the northeast with Gaffigan sometime next spring.

He hopes his work with stand-up comedy will pave the way for a career in acting.

"You can't just make an average living with stand-up comedy alone," O'Connor said.

"I see stand-up comedy as an easy stepping stone to acting."