I had the same experience when I was 24; I'd come to play in a Chinese punk rock band. Instead I ran out of money and ended up writing a GRE exam study guide for a company in Beijing. Every day I had to sit down for a 2 hour lunch with my boss, a short man who had appropriately (considering his height and demeanor) chosen as his English name "Napoleon". Every day, in lieu of conversation, Napoleon would lecture all of us -- I was the only American -- on the wisdom of Mao, and pedantically drill his staff on their English vocabulary. Every night I'd go home and burn a post-it note marked with the day's date. At one point I actually tried mutilating my passport so that the Chinese government wouldn't renew my visa, thus providing myself with an excuse to go home early. Didn't work.

But Cary's right: there's nothing that you can't survive doing for three months. But I think there's only one way you can learn that, and it's the hard way. Start doing those push-ups.

I, too, endured a soul-crushing job for many months. These are a few things I did to make the days go faster. You might not be allowed to do some of these things, but if you can get away with it...

1. Wear headphones. Listen to your favorite music all day -- or, a new album every day if you can afford it. You can also use your headphones to listen to books on tape / CD / mp3 players. I learned a great deal while I appeared to be working on spreadsheets. Talk radio is also an option.

2. Start a pseudonymous blog. Each day, write about the indignities of your job (without giving away your identity). Be witty, sarcastic, scathing. Document your frustration, your boredom, your pain... and make it entertaining. Do NOT do this at work, as you will get caught -- but I swear, once you start a "hate my job" blog, the day goes faster because you spend it writing little narratives in your head. Every stupid thing that happens becomes fodder for your next rant.

3. Read the internet. I used to copy and paste pages of content and e-mail them to myself, so that it would look like I was just "checking my e-mail" when in reality I was catching up on the latest political discussion.

4. Take many, many breaks. For whatever reason. Whenever you can.

Good luck!

I second the listening to music and talk radio and reading as much news stuff as possible. Also, if it's possible where you work, I would hone in on a couple of co-workers and start grilling them (gently, conversationally) about their life ... I mean, the type of people who don't automatically open up ... the ones who love to talk endlessly about the minutia of their day are definitely to be avoided. I once worked at this mindless temp job clipping obits from the newspaper (that was it, I clipped obits and filed them eight hours a day, don't ask) and thought I would scream. But then I started digging into the life of the woman next to me ... she was so odd, so completely different from me, that I was fascinated by every word that came out of her mouth. And once I showed her that I wasn't laughing at her and was being respectful she told me some of the oddest, funniest and saddest stories from her very ... eccentric life, and let me into her very different way of seeing and experiencing the world. She was a character straight from a book and I'll never forget the conversations we had (until one day one of the truly boring people I worked with told me not to talk anymore. Whatever!).

I was overseas for a while and convinced myself that everything would be peachy when I got back stateside. I didn't count on the homesickness that I would encounter or how much home had changed. I had a real bad culture shock and found the true meaning of "you can't go home again". Its best to consider what you enjoy in the place that you're in because you may never get the chance ever again in your lifetime.

Ah yes, ambition that drug of the ego that makes 3 freakin' months a prision. Boo-'efing-hoo. Sure I empathize on a human level because everyone has felt trapped and restless and yet the self-absorption of the LW is annoying.

I have no idea where the LW is but he might as well make the best of it, have some fun, get some experience in areas that will get you a personality, some depth, some stories and learn about something besides ambition...i.e., be a human. Or watch the paint dry, leave ASAP and be less for it.

You ultimately get what you put into it.

what better time is there to be self absorbed thenwhen you are writing a letter to an advice columnist? maybe i've got the idea all confused but i think that's kind of the point.

Sounds like you're just SO superior to your co-workers. Sounds like you're just SO good as assuming details about your co-workers' lives. Sounds like you're just SO whiny.

Sounds like you're just SO non-creative.

Perhaps I'm mistaken, perhaps you are intelligent, perhaps you WILL outgrow your petulance. But I doubt it.

Quit your whining. Life isn't all about pleasing you and making your life special. You think you're better than all the rest of us schmucks who do manual or unskilled labor? You sound very spoiled and selfish. Toughen up. One important life skill is to buck down and learn how to complete a job, even though one doesn't like it very much. Suck it up and move on. That's what the rest of us do.

I think Cary is spot-on regarding his response. I can understand how a bright person in his or her 20s can feel stifled in an unchallenging, unstimulating situation.

But since the LW has ideas about his or her potential vocation, he/she should take this time to do some research, update the ol' resume, seek out mentors for advice, contact potential future employers to see what the best next step is.

In one's twenties, three months seem like forever. I've been at a temp job (with no bennies) that I've liked for eight months, and have just been offered a position with benefits. It's a bit different as I've liked it here, but the lower pay with no bennies hasn't been a picnic. But patience and diligence have won out, and it doesn't seem like all that long right now.

The bottom line is to use the time as an INVESTMENT, to see how you can move to fast-forward your career a bit more. Other suggestions made here regarding music, reading, socializing, entertaining yourself are good for the short term.

Everyone's entitled to whine a bit--what twenty-something doesn't, for pete's sake?! The whining and complaining are fine, as long as they lead to action. The dissatisfaction is the fuel to get moving to something better. You're more than entitled to your feelings, and I actually think it's good and productive that you're seeking out advice--if that spurs you to action, to making a plan and communicating with helpful people, then you'll be well on your way.

I think it's good for young people to appreciate their education and skills and want to put them to good use. I say "hooray" to that. Better than being a slacker, don't you think?

Just make the three months an investment, use the time wisely, and I'm willing to bet you'll do just fine, or even better.