Anyone who has ever worked a soulless cubicle job knows what it’s like to tap a pencil across the side of your head and daydream things like: “What if I had a more exciting life?” “What if I didn’t hate coming into work every day?”

Standup comic and writer Jon Rineman doesn’t have to daydream like that because he has that dream job. After graduating from Emerson College in 2005,  he became a freelance monologue writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, contributing daily jokes. After a few years working up the comedy ladder, Rineman was hired as a writer for NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. At 32, Rineman is now Fallon’s head monologue writer, and also does his own stand-up on the show. He appears regularly at all of the top New York City comedy clubs, including Caroline’s on Broadway and Stand Up NY on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Rineman is performing at the Camden Opera House on Friday, Nov. 27. In anticipation of his appearance, we bring you five insights into his comedy career.

Q: While at Emerson did you ever imagine yourself where you are now in life? Worst case scenario: if you hadn't taken this career path, where would you have likely ended up?

A: I feel like I would've wound up doing something more generic, like advertising, PR or being a presidential candidate. It actually seems like that last one has become the most viable career path. But the goal when you go to a school like Emerson is to wind up in the entertainment industry, so the whole time I was there, I pictured myself working in comedy. The first few years after? That's a different story. But that seems to be how it goes — right when you're losing faith, sometimes, the universe will throw you a bone.

Q. How did you break into writing freelance monologues for talk shows, such as for Jay Leno?

A: A family friend grew up with Jay, so I reached out to see if he'd pass along my resumé. Then a couple nights later, at 11 p.m., the phone rings at my parents' house. My dad knocks on my door and says, ‘It's Jay Leno.’ So I answer the phone, and there he is - that voice I grew up listening to. So we talked for maybe half an hour, he was very nice and I eventually wound up sending in topical jokes he could use for his monologue. I'd only ever get one or two on a week, but it's a pretty big thrill to hear your joke on TV when you're first starting out.

Q: Walk us through what goes into a day of working as a head writer for Jimmy Fallon, and at what point in your day does he go over material with you? While running through the jokes, how do you know you're killing it - or bombing with Jimmy?

A: We usually start preparing the show the night before. Our writer’s assistant will send me a batch of news stories for the writers, which I'll go through and edit, while our head writer, A.D. Miles, reads through everybody's jokes. Then, the next morning, we all write a few more, and when Miles is done reading and going over sketch stuff, he'll send me all his picks and I'll go through and weed out duplicates—stuff that's similar to jokes we've already done or extra jokes when we already have enough on a certain topic. Then, the monologue team meets, reads through everything, and based off of people's reactions, Miles and I will cut it down to our best 25 or so jokes that I'll organize for Jimmy to read in rehearsal. The key to knowing if a joke is gonna fly is if Jimmy builds on it—does an act-out or an impression, etc. That's kind of what you're hoping, that it'll be something he and Higgins can run with and make even funnier. (As a millennial, of course, I'm actually required to hope someone else does part of my job for me.)

Q: What's it like going from writing someone else's material to writing your own stuff for stand-up?

A: It’s a thousand times harder writing for myself. It's almost like trying to dress yourself without a mirror sometimes. With Jimmy, I can say, ‘Oh, he'll make this funny,’ whereas for myself, there can be a lot of doubt. And it's easy for me to get bored with my own stuff. I do much better when I have a couple of new jokes to be excited about. So, whenever I'm going to be someplace like The Comedy Cellar, where I've been lucky enough to do shows with people like Louis CK, Ray Romano, Chris Rock and Artie Lange, I always feel much better if I have something new to work in somehow. Otherwise, I feel like I'm showing up for a test without studying. My audition at the Cellar was easily the most scared I've ever been in comedy, and passing it was honestly up there with getting hired by Fallon.

Q: Being from Boston and New York City, what impressions do you think people there have of Maine and its people, from the good, to the bad, to the off the wall?

A: Well I'm actually from New Hampshire — which is basically Maine with more fireworks stores — so in a way, I feel like we're all cousins. Literally, probably. So I hope we have a nice little reunion at the Opera House.

Tickets are $16. Call 207-470-7066, visit camdenoperahouse.com or stop by the Camden Town Office Monday through Friday, 9 a.m-3 p.m. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com