A
female
age
26-29,
anonymous
writes:I've been working a 9-5 summer internship/job for the summer - I do get paid, but on the downside, I'm absolutely miserable. I ask my supervisors for work, but they really don't have anything for me to do. When they give me work, I accomplish it, and the time passes quicker, but generally they have absolutely no work for me to do, so I sit in my cubicle at my desk from 9-5, bored out of my mind. The hours alone are long and tiring because I have absolutely nothing to do. I take lunch with the other intern for an hour each day, but it's really not enough to keep my spirits up.What should I do? (given that quitting is not an option) Reply to this Question
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male
reader, olderthandirt  +, writes (17 July 2014):
 Educate yourself about other interests within the company. Visit the th other departments.Get involed in continueing ucation couse on-line or at night schools. Motivate yourlf by takig extra courses i similar fields.
A
female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (17 July 2014):
 Here we have a huge INTRANET with learning modules that folks can do any time they want and have time..
is there any online learning you could do?
If there is someone who does the job you think you want can you ask to shadow them?
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A
female
reader, oldbag  +, writes (17 July 2014):
 I know it makes for a very loooong day when your idle, I understand.
Why not investigate other departments via HR - see if they can find you a project?
If there isn't a large HR then send out internal emails requesting extra work.
Bypass the Supervisors basically and get pro-active.
Don't sound bored sound keen
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A
female
reader, CindyCares  +, writes (17 July 2014):
 You are only 18-21, you have no job experience, no special skills, and you get PAID. Not much, I guess, but you get PAID- a luck and a luxury for people in your age range in many countries of the world- including certain areas of yours.
And you get paid for doong nothing. Just to rest.
What you should do ? A little happy dance. You should congratulate yourself, in previous lives you must have accumulated good karma to be rewarded with this privilege in this life. When so many people your age would kill to have the chance to make some money in an easy ,legit way, and also to learn something ( because that's the idea of internships, isnt'it, to let you learn some skills or technique or knowledge that you can use in future ).
Explain to your boss that you are under challenged and are willing, raring in fact, to do something more and ask him to send more work your way. Even if it does not quite fot your job description- you'll learn.
Volunteer to help / take over for anybody who seems having work to do. Maybe THEY would not mind having a litle break , instead.
Clean. Clean your desk, your work area... volunteer to go for errands or make tea or coffee for your coworkers.
Failing everything else, READ. You know, the real thing ?, those rectangular printed paper things with pages that you turn manually ?... You'd never think it, but they are the best compananon and the best way to kill time, and they can be pretty amazing. Imagine, being paid for reading. Forget age range, as for myself I would kill too for such a privilege.
Study. Learn a language, or brush up what you have just finished studying,or give yourself a headstart on what you are going to study if you are continuing your education.
Write lists, you never know you may set in motion the Law of Attraction :). Write down the 101 things you absolutely want to do before you die, or list in details everything you'd buy if you won 1 millon dollaes, or make detailed plans and itineraries for the 10 dream trips you'd take if you could. Write down in details the furnishings and decoration of your new ( fantasy ) house, or plan your future wedding in minute details. Take 5 things that you'd want to change in your life and come up with all the idea you can find, no matter how crazy, to make these changes happen.
Use your brain, use your imagination, use your creativity.
Write your autobiography, or sketch the plot for a novel, or for a thriller.
Be grateful. I was in a cab yesterday, the cab driver is getting married in September and he needs extra money to cover the wedding expenses. So since a few months he has been doing extra shifts , 12 hours a day , TWENTYONE days straight, one day off. ( I am glad he told me that only when I was close to my destination, otherwise I would have been a bit concerned that he might break out into "Taxi Driver" De Niro's monologue , " Are you talking to me ? Are YOU talking to me ? " ). Would you like to exchange places with him ?.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (17 July 2014): Have you tried asking your supervisor(s) to give you a few extra things to do to keep you busy? Tell them that you really like a busy day, and will be willing to help in any capacity you can. Keep offering, and they will find you something to do to get you off their backs.
They may be testing you for self-motivation; and observing how you occupy and manage your down-time. As a manager, I've done this many times. If you sit idle, and don't ask repeatedly for something to do; that is going to go on your performance appraisal.
You don't describe the type of business you work for. No one pays people to sit around and do nothing. Stop buzzing through your work. Take more time to do it if there is no hurry.
You're not impressing anyone by whizzing through your assignments. It just might be full of mistakes, and they just don't trust you. It is better that they are timely and precise; than quick and messy.
Don't be afraid to ask them how you're doing; and if they have suggestions for improvement. Whether you need it or not. If you have suggestions, offer them. Use your down-time to make-up a list of suggestions. That's probably what they're looking for. It wouldn't hurt.
Here's a suggestion. Each day you come in and you are given your daily tasks; ask right then and there what you can do to be of more help, and assistance once the task is completed.
You're a female, and if this is a male-dominated business or proprietorship. They may be purposely working around you. You didn't mention if you're the only intern.
Someone may feel threatened by you being around. So they pretend the workload is too light.
In any case; someone above you is slacking on the job; when they have the benefit of an extra brain and pair of hands. Only a lame-brain wouldn't take full advantage of it.
Don't give them an excuse to let you go, make yourself visible and useful. Even if you have nothing to do, keep asking.
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A
female
reader, Tisha-1 +, writes (16 July 2014):
 This feels like a question from one of my young nephews. "Mom, I'm bored!"
You have a cubicle. You have no privacy. But you have the luxury of time and a paid job.
Sit for a minute and for heaven's sake try to feel a minuscule grain of gratitude that you have a paying job when so many people on this planet are without job and without access to so much we take for granted.
Schedule that moment of gratitude into your smartphone so you can be reminded about every 20 minutes when you are about to go back into whine-mode.
Look around you. Who is working in your office? Is there some way you can make their lives better or their jobs easier? No? Have you really thought about it?
Never mind, you aren't the creative type.
Got it.
Bring in a notebook (the regular old fashioned paper kind) and write down your thoughts and ideas for a week.
Read those thoughts and ideas next week.
See if something doesn't suddenly pop up as a great idea for your current job.
Bring in a book and read it.
I have a few ideas for that book selection.
You could always choose to get fired by not showing up for your spirit-limiting draining non-job.... someone else would probably be ecstatic to have that job.
Write poetry. Write a book. Write song lyrics.
Learn to meditate.
Learn to be grateful.
Practice static exercises. There are people who wind up with DVT (google it) and some simple exercises could prevent that.
Start a blog. "Why my job and life suck and why I'm so damn low." or "I have this great opportunity to write a blog and the luxury of time to do so!" Choose the slant and maybe the blog will write itself. Obviously, don't post the blog from your hated job site. Write the blog and post it when you get home.
You could always do what one of my friends used to suggest when I was getting whiny. Call the WAH-mbulance. ;)
Find the joy in where you are, make the space and the people around you better and rejoice that you are young and healthy and in a place to have the privilege of being bored. Most people on this planet do not have that privilege.
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A
female
reader, chigirl  +, writes (16 July 2014):
 Start working on other tasks. Most bosses love a person who shows initiative. Think about what you can do to improve some of the work, or try and see if there is any work that can be done. Even small things like organizing the cabins. To bigger things like trying to save the business money. I don't know what field you're in, but try to do something proactive. If you make yourself a valued employee, you might have work at the end of summer too. Shape your position into being your dream job, if you can in any way. Don't think that just because something isn't in your to-do list, that you shouldn't do it anyway.
I was bored out of my mind for two months at my last job, and did absolutely nothing about it for two whole months. Then I started working on a project of my own, using data that I had gathered and analyzing them for the benefit of the business. Guess what? They loved it, and the analysis I made were asked for again and again. Worst is, if I had just started doing that from the beginning I could have accomplished so much more. I could have even asked for a raise.
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A
male
reader, Mark1978 +, writes (16 July 2014):
 Make the most of it! When you leave behind your internship/studies and go into real work you will be lucky if you can enjoy a bowl movement without having to explain to your supervisor where you have been for the last three minutes.
Im out of work and would LOVE an income, no matter who small. Your being paid for doing bugger all so make the most of it.
Ask your supervisor if their is something more you can do, maybe ask if there are other jobs you can do or learn to gain more experience. I know its no fun sat around bored but there is usually something you can do, even if its not you usual type of work. Even offering to clean up the workplace will be something to get the time moving and show your supervisor(s) that you are keen and that will lead to a glowing reference.
Mark
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