4 months into the job and I'm bored?

baseball1988

I found a new job not too long ago (4 months ago). There was a steep learning curve in the first 2 months which kept me going. I like to problem solve and it took me a while to figure things out. I enjoy learning new things. This month is the 4th month and it appears like I'm doing stuff way too fast. Maybe because I'm getting better at it or maybe I'm a quick learner. There are times when I'm done with everything and I'm in idle mode (honestly, I spend only 2 hours per day doing real work and the rest is doing nothing much). Some days are very busy which keeps me working for 4 days non-stop then sometimes sit for 2-3 days straight doing nothing again.

There is another employee who started at the same time as me. That person takes VERY long to finish his/her projects. If my manager didn't hire that person, I could have done double the amount of work. I have no idea whats taking so long for my colleague to finish. It's about the same level of difficulty. Thank god we work on individual projects rather than team-based. It appears like my colleague can NEVER meet deadlines for some reason whereas I am pretty much done everytime. It usually takes about 5 days in total to finish a medium project by myself whereas it would take my colleague about 10-15 days.

I get paid very decent. Work-life balance. Long lunch breaks. Nobody monitoring me. What do you think? Is it because i'm overqualified? I'm too good for the job? Or is it time for me to look for a new job? There are still a lot of things to learn but some days I'm just looking at my monitor doing nothing or waiting for the next project to come.

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Comments

Krunchi

Actually sounds like you have it pretty good. What you need to be doing with all that free time is knocking out some certs maybe get a degree if you don't have one you'll be getting payed to get yourself ready for your next move in your career from what it looks like you are in the driver sit no reason to put the car in the ditch.

paul78

You could also speak with your supervisor and offer to help your collegue with completing some their tasks. Being part of a company also includes collaboration and teamwork.

matt333

certification time:).. when you have free time. make use of that time you'll be happy you did when/if you want to look for another job

pcgizzmo

I have to agree. Be careful what you wish for. Take advantage of the free time. You never know when you might not have it again plus as was stated you can be preparing for your next job or just getting some certs if you want. Just make sure if your bored you don't stagnate.

krjay

There's something to be said about leaving a job too early as it looks bad on your resume. Since youre getting paid decent, and boredom is your only problem, take the time to study. If you're in a more entry level position and are unsure which cert to obtain at least learn something by taking the initiative to delve deeper into the boring tasks you're doing now. For example earlier in my career at a non-IT shop they'd have me install windows on countless machines. Ok, this is extremely boring and time consuming, let me figure out how to image these and distribute desktops more efficiently. Even though that was a very basic level task for anyone in IT, I didn't know much at the time. I ended up learning something and helping the company save money at the same time. You get the idea.

quinnyfly

Upskill brudda, get some extra certs tucked under your belt in spare time, utilize the advantages of your job, more qauls eqauls more pay and promotion.

Tackle

Welcome to IT. Haha. Some times there is not enough time in the day to put out all the fires, other times it's slow and you get to work on projects that have been on the back burner.

RomBUS

You know sounds like a lot like my position...I usually surf around learning stuff, I bring most of my study materials on my thumb drive. These times can get very boring I know but like the others said take time to study to keep interests high now that you know the company standards and such.

swild

My last job, I played MMOs in my downtime. This job, I'm finishing my BS through WGU and then plan on getting more certs or a Masters. I try to stay in every position for at least 2 years. However, I am thinking that my next job may be more involved and I won't have downtime (hopefully) so I am making the most of it now.

N2IT

paul78 wrote: »

You could also speak with your supervisor and offer to help your collegue with completing some their tasks. Being part of a company also includes collaboration and teamwork.

+1

You may be more talented than your co worker. It looks like you don't know why he is missing the delivery date, so I wouldn't make to many assumptions. I would just offer some assistance to your boss so he/she knows and he/she can make the decision.

Psoasman

baseball1988 wrote: »

I found a new job not too long ago (4 months ago). There was a steep learning curve in the first 2 months which kept me going. I like to problem solve and it took me a while to figure things out. I enjoy learning new things. This month is the 4th month and it appears like I'm doing stuff way too fast. Maybe because I'm getting better at it or maybe I'm a quick learner. There are times when I'm done with everything and I'm in idle mode (honestly, I spend only 2 hours per day doing real work and the rest is doing nothing much). Some days are very busy which keeps me working for 4 days non-stop then sometimes sit for 2-3 days straight doing nothing again.

There is another employee who started at the same time as me. That person takes VERY long to finish his/her projects. If my manager didn't hire that person, I could have done double the amount of work. I have no idea whats taking so long for my colleague to finish. It's about the same level of difficulty. Thank god we work on individual projects rather than team-based. It appears like my colleague can NEVER meet deadlines for some reason whereas I am pretty much done everytime. It usually takes about 5 days in total to finish a medium project by myself whereas it would take my colleague about 10-15 days.

I get paid very decent. Work-life balance. Long lunch breaks. Nobody monitoring me. What do you think? Is it because i'm overqualified? I'm too good for the job? Or is it time for me to look for a new job? There are still a lot of things to learn but some days I'm just looking at my monitor doing nothing or waiting for the next project to come.

If you are getting your work done quickly and correctly, then that's a good thing. I have a fair amount of downtime at work and I've used it to earn 9 certs, my AAS degree and close to 1/2 my B.S. in IT degree.

I'd ask for more responsibility or pick some certs to work on. Employers like to see you enhancing your education.

NetworkVeteran

baseball1988 wrote: »

It appears like my colleague can NEVER meet deadlines for some reason whereas I am pretty much done everytime. It usually takes about 5 days in total to finish a medium project by myself whereas it would take my colleague about 10-15 days. I'm too good for the job? Or is it time for me to look for a new job?

If your team mates are missing deadlines and you have lots of spare time, you are not "too good", nor overqualified. You certainly have room to grow, and this role may allow you to do it. Folks who understand the needs and goals of their employer and ensure they're satisfied are paid better than grunts and tend to be retained when times are tight.

If you have four spare hours each day, I would allocate 2-3 to improving your team's performance and 1-2 to self-improvement. Remember that, if your goal is to improve your team's performance, you need to have a good relationship with your co-worker. Strive not to be adversarial nor arrogant.

apoole15

We go through the same thing at my office - days of constant fires and then days of free time.

As others have stated, work on certs or furthering your education.

If your colleague is having issues, try working with them and find out what they are struggling in. Maybe you could teach them and become a mentor. Maybe they're working on things that you have little experience in and working with them will help you gain that experience.

Is there more advanced techs/admins in your office? See if they have anything they would let you assist them with.

It's all about learning and gaining experience. Just because you have your current duties down doesn't mean you should sit idle. Find a way to grow - be it through self-studying or hands-on by helping others.

FWIW - I wouldn't look at leaving after 4 months - I would stay at least a year or two.

rs2606

CERT CERT CERTTTTIME I'm in the same boat. I'm the most junior network engineer so I do mostly help desk type stuff. All the time for me to study certs, and the boss buys the books!

cmitchell_00

I think it's time for training and certifications so use your time wisely. I've been in the situation where I had time to study and didn't do it so; I lost that time. The certifications can mean alot when trying to get another job or even a raise at your current job.

Task: (Time is money)
*Study/Lab
*Learn other team members duties
*Help out the other guy who is struggling if you can.

baseball1988

Thanks for the feedback. I read them all and will take into consideration.

Most of you have suggested:
-Self-study and learn
-Improve team performance and help colleague

1. My colleague spends so much time talking on the personal cellphone (walking in and out of the cubicle)
2. Eating peanuts or seeds all afternoon on certain days (I hear cracking noises non-stop)
3. Chatting on MSN or some kind of chatting tool (I'm guessing because I hear a lot of keyboard typing noise all day when our job doesn't even require much typing)

Anyway, back to my situation...self-studying sounds like a good idea. But, I don't think it would be appropriate to open up a textbook at my desk in the meantime. I'm still new to the work environment. My manager comes by at random hours by surprise (maybe every 2-3 days). I could surf the internet but everything is tracked and don't want to be the first person to get fired.

These days I'm just doing things very slow...a project that would take me 3 hours to do...I would spent 5-6 hours on it...I would work on it...then get a coffee then work....seems more better than doing it quickly and sit idle at my desk.

RouteThisWay

baseball1988 wrote: »

1. My colleague spends so much time talking on the personal cellphone (walking in and out of the cubicle)

Do you know what he is talking about? Does he have kids? There is a guy who does that at my work a lot. Someone made a comment (non manager) about him and started to chastise him. Turns out he has two kids with special needs and his daughter almost died a few months ago from some disease.

baseball1988 wrote: »

2. Eating peanuts or seeds all afternoon on certain days (I hear cracking noises non-stop)

This can be annoying yes, but.. I do too and my productivity is fine.

baseball1988 wrote: »

3. Chatting on MSN or some kind of chatting tool (I'm guessing because I hear a lot of keyboard typing noise all day when our job doesn't even require much typing)

Maybe he is doing documentation? Just as you said... you are just guessing. You have no idea. I would stop assuming.

Not to be rude, but I would stop worrying so much about him and worry about yourself.

kriscamaro68

Get a Safaribooksonline account or get books on pdf and read them on your computer during your down time. This way if your boss comes by you dont have a book out and it looks as though you are reading technical docs which you technically are.

SteveLord

Tackle wrote: »

Welcome to IT. Haha. Some times there is not enough time in the day to put out all the fires, other times it's slow and you get to work on projects that have been on the back burner.

This. I have all my ideas and long term/unannounced projects listed out. Whenever I hit a slow day/week, I open up that list and revisit them.

lantech

Managers like to see people helping others and trying to improve themselves. Probably be a good idea to do a mix of both. Like someone else said, don't make assumptions about what your coworker is doing. It doesn't really matter if you guys work individually or not. You are still a part of a team with a common overall goal.

VAHokie56

Sooooo plenty of down time to work on certs, looking like a pro compared to other employees and long lunch breaks with minimal supervision? sorry dude I am crying a river for you over here

jibbajabba

VAHokie56 wrote: »

Sooooo plenty of down time to work on certs, looking like a pro compared to other employees and long lunch breaks with minimal supervision? sorry dude I am crying a river for you over here

You say that now ... it get's old after a while though .. I've been there - and whilst the idea of studying sounds great - you won't do that every day especially not in an environment where people interrupt you - even if it is just nonsense and in short bursts ...

In my current job I am commuting 1hr40 each way and also thought "I have sooo much time to study" on the train - even that can get old and at some point you are so numb that you can't be ar**d to do anything, reading, listening or otherwise .. Same with boring jobs ..

itsgonnahappen

You're in an ideal position in my opinion. Like others have said...use your spare time to improve and study for the next step.