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I have recently started admin job at this startup and I feel like it is sucking my life away, and boring the brains out of me..

Firstly, there is little to no tasks for me. And my colleagues know it. So everyday I am forced to surf the web just to keep myself busy.. other than that there will be simple tasks which can be completed in minutes. I have done what I can, helping them to scan documents if any. I don't even know what my job description is, my title is a very vague Assistant Supervisor and no training/brief whatsoever.

Should I just quit and find another job?

Edit: yeah, admin. Which they did not specify. My direct manager is on biz trip 80% of the time, the other 10% he is not around. I have asked my colleagues and they either have no time to teach me or can't think of anything for me to do. They are all handling a few projects. I have tried using the free time to learn some programming language like Python and I think for the time being it's either that or job seeking. I have read every material in their shared OneDrive..

kakadoo
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chare
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    Find another job and then quit. – Ant P Feb 17 '17 at 10:06
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    Have you been asking people and/or your manager what you can do to help? – Erik Feb 17 '17 at 10:10
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    I would say just stay there, build some other skills like learning online. While being paid for doing nothing, you can pay your bills and later move on when you acquire some new skills. –  Feb 17 '17 at 11:31
  • Work from home? –  Feb 17 '17 at 14:26
  • admin job can you clarify? maybe there're work to do: I don't know how you're envolved in the projects, but you can also learn how to improve the documentation/guidelines for teach new employees... even if this is not a admin's work, if is useful for the company. – Mauricio Arias Olave Feb 17 '17 at 14:38
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    Every startup has a lot of work you can do without special training. Are you good at writing? You can write/edit/proofread all kinds of written stuff (documentation, the website, marketing materials, press releases, etc). You're curious? You can help test the company's product (whatever it is). You can see what happens if people do things the creators never thought of. No matter what you're good at, if you spend some time (which you have) thinking about it, and maybe bouncing ideas off someone else over coffee, you can find ways to help. You can grow out of that job, or grow the job. – Jeffiekins Feb 17 '17 at 15:55
  • No answer, just an experience. I had the same at accenture. 1-2h training per day, but no tasks to do (even after asking the team lead for them). I couldn't stand it and quit after 5 weeks. – Džuris Feb 17 '17 at 15:57
  • Possible duplicate of How do I keep busy during slow times, without looking like I have nothing to do? –  Feb 17 '17 at 16:18
  • Other related questions: Started a new job, getting bored regularly, Is it my duty to seek work to do or should my manager find tasks for me? with much better answers IMO – Robert Dundon Feb 17 '17 at 16:28
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    You should stop surfing the web and stay and use the free time to your advantage and learn something new on your own. You get money for doing nothing! What can be better then this? – red-shield Feb 17 '17 at 22:17
  • Don't wait for someone to tell you what to do or how to do it. Figure it out for yourself. Borrowing a couple of concepts from this methodology: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/resume-blasphemy You'll need to understand the problems and challenges your employer faces. You probably won't find this in the shared drive. For that, you need to read trade journals and articles written by analysts that understand your burgeoning area. Then you need to create a plan describing how you would do the work the employer needs done. It doesn't matter if the plan is not perfect. (continued) – Stephan Branczyk Sep 23 '17 at 11:55
  • Slowly improve your plan this way. And craft your own job description. The reason I don't want you to show it to your family is that the people who already know you too well, your family/friends/significant other, may pigeon you in a role already and they can be the most difficult people to convince that you can do such a thing. And in a startup, you often have to figure out what kind of work needs doing and do it yourself. This is perfectly normal. But don't look for menial tasks that need to be done, focus especially on the tasks you could do that would bring the most value to the company. – Stephan Branczyk Sep 23 '17 at 12:26

3 Answers3

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Some people would love that job...

Seriously, your job isn't save if someone could do it in twenty or ten hours a week. Unless this startup has plans for expansion where you are suddenly overwhelmed with work, they might figure out that they pay you for 40 hours and need only ten.

So you should definitely look for a new position, without telling anyone. Since you are in a not too bad place (there are much worse things than being bored), you can look carefully to find not just a new position, but a good new position.

Meanwhile I think you should check with your colleagues and your manager where there are things where you can help out, even if it is unrelated to your real job.

gnasher729
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    "(there are much worse things than being bored)" Yes, now you have plenty of time to finally develop those skills you've always wanted but never got the time to do. Learn a new programming language/framework/etc. Added benefit is you're greatly improving your chances for a next job in the process :-) – Mast Feb 17 '17 at 14:31
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    100% agree with a reminder that, while it may be tempting, do not use your free time at your current job to look for a new one – wnnmaw Feb 17 '17 at 14:41
  • @wnnmaw Exactly. You might lose your job. – bye Feb 17 '17 at 15:32
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I think you should quit. But only after a few steps...

  • you can ask your direct manager how you can help, what is their main issue right now and doing so you show interest in what the start-up is dealing with. This cannot be bad, never.
  • if there is no change, start looking for an new opportunity without telling anyone. Maybe in a few days or weeks your boss will come with a very good task he wants you to work on it, and you do not want to be disqualified because you said earlier you were leaving
  • looking for opportunities all day long may be boring, and it seems you already are. Why not enjoy this "free-time" to learn some new skills? There are a lot of MOOC out there, or tutorials etc... and it seems that no one cares about how you use your internet access. Immediate upside: you will not be bored anymore at work
  • Finally, @AntP is true saying you should find a job and then quit.
le_daim
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    Good answer... With regard to the MOOC options, why not look at something that might plug a gap in your existing company (marketing is a common issue), learn the skills and fill that gap. When you eventually move on, your CV/resume will be much stronger... – JohnHC Feb 17 '17 at 10:54
  • @JohnHC you are right. If you agree, I can steal your idea and edit my answer – le_daim Feb 17 '17 at 11:08
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I think this totally depends on your personality.

I've been in jobs like that, and while I did find it boring, I also found a lot of things to do. I started automating everything and polishing my programming skills.

Hell, I wrote a book. I can make it work, and even like it at times.

But working in jobs where I'm busy and doing important things from the moment I sit down to the moment I leave, I find much easier. The day is faster. I feel less tired. I have more motivation to do hobbies/projects stuff when I get home.

As other answer mentioned, there's also the constant worry that "is someone going to realize this job doesn't exist?" and you'll loose it suddenly. Just be aware of that, and mitigate it by looking/building skills that can get you a better job - or working towards a better job in the company (my automation and playing around programming in that boring job? I changed teams, did the same there and now I'm running their software development).

Joe
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