I literally do nothing at work

I’m about 2 years into my first job after college, working as a mechanical design engineer. Honestly, I’m not sure if this is normal or if I’m missing something, but most days it feels like I’m just existing at work.

When I first joined, they gave me a big project that I finished way faster than expected, and my boss was super happy with the results. But since then it’s been a lot of waiting around for work to come my way.

Typical day:

• My tasks are either tiny (like ordering parts or updating spreadsheets) or random bursts of actual work when my boss gets overloaded.
• I finish everything quickly and then spend hours trying to look busy. Some days, I’m just browsing YouTube or catching up on memes while waiting for something to do.
• I’ve asked to be included in more projects, but nothing has come of it yet.

It’s not that I hate it - the job pays well, and the team is nice. But I feel like I’m not really growing or using my skills much. I can’t help but wonder:

• Is this just how work is in the beginning? Do I need to adjust my expectations?
• Am I missing opportunities? I want to contribute more, but it seems like no one’s in a rush to give me anything meaningful to do.
• How do I make the most of this? Should I focus on learning independently, or is there a better way to show I’m ready for more responsibility?

I feel lucky to have a stable job, but at the same time, I’m worried I’ll look back on this phase and think, “I could have done so much more”, or worse, I get fired for not working enough?