That is why God gave us Archinect.

study for the ARE or LEED

Show some initiative and organize the carpet samples

Find a competition and enter it

(work on your portfolio)

thanks, but none of those suggestions
And that doesn't solve my problem.

seriously...I need some real help!

i agree with treekiller.

we are all very creative.... ok most of us are....alright- some

point is - use that creativity to make the most out of the situation, grab a hold of the "free time" that you have- and take a risk-

friggin re-render an existing projects rendering just because you can.

re-draw a detail for more efficiency.

look up the project specs and find out the nuts and bolts of the project beforehand.

sketch she-ra vs he-man in a corb building and post it in the kitchen for laughs

ok that last one you should do first

definitely

you don't realize that thats what I have been doing for the previous month. The time for filling in my free time has passed-i need to start my job! This isn't like I'm in between projects and need to be productive-I don't want to start out this job sitting on my butt. I've already cleaned up drawings, worked on specs, created files, tighted details, etc.

study for your tests cuz when you do get busy you wont want to

If the office was going to have laid you off, the should have done so a few weeks ago. They already seem to be hanging onto you for a reason... so grin and bear it - you're getting paid, right?

I lived through about 7 weeks of the same, earlier in the summer.

and contact your old firm to see if you'd be welcome back.

issue a fatwa

I was in the same situation. I took the initiative, found a new client and got their project off the ground. Bosses love that kind of stuff and it is only going to help you develop into a well rounded professional. Ask to do some marketing work for the firm. Don't sit on your laurels and wait for work to come to you, go get some.
j

yeah - go get some.

or draw cartoons dammit.

Believe me, firms don't like having people sitting around doing nothing any more than you like it. Most likely they're anticipating needing you on an incoming project, and most likely one or more projects have experienced some sort of delay that is out of the firm's control (put on hold by the client, or client off to a slow start, whatever.)

I don't think the suggestions you've been given so far are bad ideas. Other things you might ask about doing "while you're free" would be anything for marketing purposes (award submissions? digital or physical models of unbuit projects? website updates? photography? project sheets for the firm's portfolio?) Those are all things that many firms have in the backs of their minds as things to get done, but they won't generally put people on them if there are billable projects to occupy everyone. Starting a competition entry is also not a bad idea.

I'm sure that if the firm is keeping you around then they're anticipating that they'll have something productive for you to do soon. Circumstances out of their control are probably keeping things from being "as advertised" for the short-term - but it's not like they can just make a big project materialize immediately...

Try to talk to others in the firm - without being too much of a pest - to see if there is anything you can help anybody with. Start with your project manager, then talk to whoever hired you, then move down through the ranks. Even another intern or a receptionist might have some short-term projects to keep you occupied.

Obviously your options are to stick it out and find things to do until the work picks up, or look elsewhere and move on if something more productive presents itself. Also try to voice your concerns about your position and how you will fit into the workload, in a tactful way.

I will say start to look around. I hate wasting my time, life is too short. It maybe a time for you to change, or do some interview practice. Take advantage of the free time. Edit your work, send out resumes. At mean time offer to do some marketing work, or ask arround PMs to help to do some help on their projects.

...ah... just recalling the entire summer I drew standard details.

Corner guards, door heads, UL assemblies, trash enclosures, roof flashing, ADA ramps, yes the old firm has quite a library. I learned a ton!

straw please send me all those details. i'll send you a cd mix!

I wish I had them myself. Wasn't smart enough to snatch them when I left. Send me that mix though....

i have to agree with all of you.

yup, show initiative. Any firm will appreciate someone that is resourceful. Inevitably there will be times when the leaders are too busy to tell you exactly what to do for every minute of the day. If you can show that you can be resourceful and productive in down times you will become more value.

Always remember, the folks at the top are the ones that make things happen, not wait for things to happen.

I spent the good part of a month sorting thru old archive drawings, with the exacting instruction if you run into anything with IM PEI name on it don't throw it out. Seems he worked in the firm when he was a young man. To my dissapointment he never left a mark.

I also spent alot of time tossing things from the sample room and ended up with some real cool french stained glass, which had been part of a submittal for a project. I ask the partner in charge if he had a problem with me keeping it instood of tossing it....an he said you deserve it after sorting thru all this stuff.

Finding clients when things are slow seems like a great idea if you're an experienced "intermediate plus" kind of person...

But what if you're a junior? What is a positive kind of initiative when you're a newbie? Is it about skill development and building responsability? Does professionalism earn you the trust to run on your own, even if you might trip up?

kind of with bRink. Its hard to jump right in when you are new and still learning how the place works and trying to find your place in it.
What you might think of as 'taking the initiative' might come off the wrong way if it is not how the place usually operates.
A little bit of organization and guidance goes a long way.

can you give me your job?