Everybody’s favorite goofy lumbering redhead Conan O’ Brien announced the name of his TBS show this week.  I have spent the best years of my life loving Conan.  I discovered him when I was in junior high.  His zany characters, hilarious recurring segments and charming interview style helped me get through an otherwise brutal puberty.  Girls were scary, everyone was growing up too fast, and I was uncomfortable in my own skin.  Luckily, I too was full of energy and self-deprecating humor.  Emulating the funny things Conan did helped me find my place and make friends.

After a few years, I was beyond my crippling awkwardness and had risen from “so awkward it’s unbearable for most people to watch” to “still awkward, but socially acceptable for everyone to enjoy.”  Just as Conan found his footing in the television world, I too became comfortable with my talents and ambitions and sought to find my place in life.  I found success in college and looked forward to the exciting world of opportunity awaiting me after graduation.

I graduated and the world bludgeoned me in the temple with a crowbar.  I realized nothing was going to be as easy as I had anticipated.  The world is changing quickly, our job market can’t keep up, and although I have a college degree and an impressive background, the world has grown especially cutthroat.  Finding meaningful, fulfilling work is harder than ever.  All of this coincided with Conan being boosted from the Tonight Show.  The logical “next big step” in life was no longer clear for either of us.

We were unemployed and neither of us saw it coming.  So what did we do?  We grew beards, started using Twitter, and began to make sense of an unpredictable world.

I don’t know if his TBS show will be a success or not, but I wish him all the best.  Watching the video below, seeing Conan with his beard in some dingy office making youtube videos, gives me hope for us young people trying to find what role we play in society’s future.  We’re not alone.  None of us really knows what we’re doing, but as long as we keep trying, we’ll be ok.

Best of luck, Conan!  I’ll be watching!



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