She is the primary female character in the series, befriending her across-the-hall neighbors Leonard Hofstadter Johnny Galecki and Sheldon Cooper Jim Parsons , two physicists who work at the nearby University California Institute of Technology Caltech. She is the love interest of Leonard, with whom she maintains a brief romantic relationship during the third season, which is later resumed in the fifth season and culminates in an engagement at the end of the seventh season and their wedding at the start of season 9. Originally from a small town outside of Omaha, Nebraska , Penny has aspirations of becoming an actress. Until season 7, she worked as a waitress at the local Cheesecake Factory. In contrast to the rest of the group, Penny is not well educated nor savvy in a specific technical field, but she has great social skills and is more streetwise than her neighbors.