Self-proclaimed recovering fraternity boy and Wharton alumnus Aaron Karo entertained two back-to-back audiences at World Cafe Live last Friday night with comedic observations on life after college.
The topics that Karo addresses revolve largely around drunken partying and sexual encounters, but his advice for Penn students is to be passionate about what they do.
"In the long run, you can always make more money and be happier doing something that you love," Karo said.
The thing that Karo loves is to make people laugh, and the crowd's reaction Friday night suggests he has succeeded.
Karo entered into comedy his freshman year at Penn when he began sending out his "Ruminations on College Life" column via e-mail to his friends. Karo's observations, which many college students found both entertaining and relatable, became increasingly popular, garnering 11,000 subscribers by the time he graduated. Some of the columns were compiled to make a book, also titled Ruminations on College Life.
After graduation, Karo worked on Wall Street for a year before deciding to commit himself to comedy full-time and to dedicate himself to becoming an "expert in the ways of the twenty-something generation."
Although becoming a comedian seems an unlikely career path for a Wharton graduate, Karo insists that his education helps him in all aspects of his career.
"I think that I use my Wharton education now more than I ever did on Wall Street," Karo said. "I'm running my own business. I have a brand that I'm cultivating. I'm doing my own finances. I'm negotiating with people."
Although Karo's observations are now of a 26-year old, he is still a college student at heart.
"I think I can stick it out until I'm 29. And then at 30, I may need to revise my persona and my catchphrase, ... as long as I can still relate to freshmen, which I think I still can," Karo said.
The lifestyle that Karo describes in both his column and in his stand-up routine resonates strongly with what he terms the "frat-boy generation," but his readers are more diversified than just this limited audience.
"It's a lifestyle that a lot of people share, and the people that don't live vicariously through it," he said.
Karo has one request for his alma mater: the installation of a plaque outside of his freshman dorm room.
"I hope one day I can get a little plaque outside of my room saying, 'This is where 'Ruminations' was created and where Karo lost his virginity.'"
