ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - For Attleboro’s Ally Beard, it pays to be funny.

Last month, the 18-year-old high school senior was hired as a freelance joke writer for Saturday Night Live.

“It’s the most surreal thing,” said Beard.

For years she’s written jokes as a hobby, so she decided to take a shot and apply to be a SNL freelance writer.

“That’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid, and I’ve often been told like ‘OK, well maybe you wanna have a more realistic job,” said Beard.

One day in class, Beard got a call—she got the gig.

She gets paid per joke. Every week she sends staff members her material and has to wait for the show to air to know if any of it is used—making show time tense.

“This could be the week, this could be the week, and it’s so fun,” said Beard.

None of her jokes have made air yet but she’s not bummed.

“No, I’m more motivated,” she said.

She’s driven to make a career out of doing what she loves.