Sounds like you have a good situation though. It particularly sounds like there is a LOT of potential for you to learn much and grow when/if work picks back up. Is available work generally depressed in your area, will it be better at other firms? Unaware exactly of your position, but can you take enough leadership to round up some work yourself (they LOVE that).

no money no honey simple as that

I agree with SuperHeavy. It would probably be in your best interest to stick it out for a while longer. Whether you realize it or not, your firm has invested a lot of time and energy in training you. Future employers may react negatively to a 5 month tenure on your resume - why would they want to risk you leaving after they have trained you to do the job? (even if you tell them that you want to stay forever)

Besides, it seems like the grass is still rather green on your side of the fence...

Offices generally slow-down during the holidays because everyone else takes time off, too. The work will likely pick-up soon, unless you are in a region that is slow, as SuperHeavy discussed. Be grateful that they haven't decided to let you go because they can't keep you busy.

I ave felt this feeling before and it makes me come up with two possible outcomes, and one that just plain doesn't work:

1. If you can afford it, stick it out. Wait and things will pick back up.

2. If you can't afford it, consider a much higher paying job (like corporate), and ask tell your boss your intentions. Then ask if you'd be welcome back.

3. (This one I DON'T recommend) Move from one starchitect or small architect to another. Generally, if one is experiencing slow times, they all are. If you are feeling you want to do this, go back to #1.

Ok, ret. I think I know who you are now... Ha ha.

Find things to do.....find things to do....in slow times! It is always a good time to work on things around the office which always seem to go undone during busy times. So when times are busy, your boss
can see how much money you saved him by not having to stop and take care of them during the busy times.

i'd suggest holding tight for a while longer too. five months is a pretty short time to be anywhere.

moreover, i've noticed that the "real world" tends to move at a much slower pace than more recent graduates are comfortable with. i remember being frustrated in my first job too...and i've since seen this tendency in others. so my advice is to be patient, give it something closer to a full year. as others have pointed out your situation doesn't appear to be too bad.

also, if you feel the the office simply moves too slow to fulfill your ambitions, then understand that it is unlikely you are going to change them. for instance, if they are only working 8-9 hour business days and you are still craving those 16-20 hours days of studio work from school then i would suggest that you shift gears a little bit and learn to enjoy having a life outside of architecture. either develop a hobby or get involved with someting else. use the additional freetime this job has presented you with to pursue your own projects, volunteer, whatever. and if that doesn't work after a year or so then keep looking until you find an employer ready to fully exploit your talents.

Actually, I agree with snooker. Offer to help re-organize the office. Or clean up the file servers - or computers - or whatever. Offer to help with the website. As long as they can pay, you can find something to do.

Or even offer to search Archinect for interesting threads - 9 hours straight! Do they pay for that?

thanks for your inputs.
Just to clarify a few things-
The current job is a corporate job.
They can sustain me for a loooong time without any work, as they have lots of money, and they pay quite well ..you know the whole medical, dental, 401k shit...they told me they'd give me a raise a couple of months ago, but i havent asked for it since i'm not doing anything productive. :).
Thanks for your inputs.
I guess you're right and i should stick it out here.
Garpike.you're close.....

hold on a few more weeks
meanwhile
i suggest that you start wearing a tie and an overcoat
and a lime green cardigan every third day
and walk around with a crazed smile on your face
and in no time
if you keep working yourself up those rungs
especially if you get really good at doing nothing productive
you will get not only a pay raise
but also be made a partner

come on Suture ... i don't know what world you live in, but in my very broad exposure to our profession, i've seen very, very few partners in firms anywhere who just coast through their professional lives ... what they do may not look like work to you, but it's pretty demanding and stressful most of the time.

Ok, ret. You are my most likely my second guess, then. Let me just call you "A". Ha.

Well, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Stick it out until you've hit the one year mark, then if things aren't better, get back to the clandestine interviews and faxing of resumes. I agree with others that five months will look bad on your resume. If it was an obvious bad fit, you would have quit sooner, so that leaves you looking indecisive and impatient (which doesn't seem an entirely inaccurate impression, but still not the one you want to make) because you can't wait for things to get better. Plus if they really like your work that much, it pretty much guarantees you that when there IS work, you'll get the good end of it, which is a good place to be.

if you feel like staying and there isn't enough work to keep your day filled, why not suggest running a competition on company time...

i'd definitely stay - things usually get slow in the winter, and many interns find that sometimes there isn't enough work for them to do. As long as you let them know you want to do work, you should be OK. don't spend your time surfing the web (like i'm doing now).

If they said they'd give you a raise - schedule a meeting with your boss and let him/her know what you want to get out of your time there, and if they can provide it for you. This is a way of saying "if you don't give me more work, then I might start looking somewhere else" without actually saying it. then discuss salary, don't be afraid of going a couple thousand more than you think you can get...

Whenever I schedule a meeting with my bosses, I usually bring the IDP core competencies, and a coresponding list of areas in which I know I need experience. this is a good trick if you want to get to do more design work, or if you want to get out on site more... this should also help you get more interesting work during slow times - you know, by going over the list with your boss and seeing what they could possibly have you do. If they are having trouble finding you work, then you are going to have to take the initiative and help them out a little.

hope this helps

-to

I found myself in a very similar position not too long ago. Bored at a good paying corporate job. Besides hours of reading threads on archinect I used my time to scout out potential grad schools, firms I'd like to work for, re did my portfolio, printed at work after everyone went home, updated my C.V., applied for jobs and all had plenty of time to keep up with their "work" they had for me. I say stick it out until you find something better, use the time to find and prepare for the next step. Complaining was just getting me no where, I didn't like where I was and did something about it, but didn't leave it till I did have something to move on to.

You're right toaster, and most everyone else. Nevertheless i am going for an interview today during lunch, just for the heck of it. As luck would have it i got a call on friday from an office in Beverly hills so i'm going to find out whats happening out there.
Meanwhile, i'm sticking it out.
Its a good idea to talk to my boss andi shall do that today.

Take up alcoholism. Get to the point where it's considered a disability. Have the firm sponsor you for a detox rehab program. Go away to your drying up camp for a month. Come back to an office humming with work.

Now you've solved two problems.

good job garpike...cheers!

damn! friends laptop blah blah!!!

Ha ha yes! I thought it was you, but changed my answer last second. You know you should never change your answer on multiple choice questions...