[bobblywobbles]

At the start of my current job, I too felt I didn't understand enough and certainly did not know what the big picture was at work. I credit two things that have helped me see the big picture at my job:

1) Relentlessly pursuing all that I could to learn 2) Having a come-to-terms moment that yes it was okay to not know and not feel bad for asking questions

Work is different than school. In work, it is more important to be self-motivated. What this tangibly means is that if I'm working on something that I have questions about, I go to the person who has the answer to my question to ask them. I'll do this many times throughout my day if I don't already know the answer. If you are feeling afraid to feel "dumb", I don't know exactly how to force it, but you need to have a moment where you accept the fact you will not know things and will have to ask questions to get the answers you need. It becomes easy to ask questions once this moment happens.

Also, be the one who initiates change. Don't wait for your manager to tell you what to do [once you have a good idea of your tasks]; be self-motivated and say yes to everything and dive into everything and learn as much as you can. The more you do this, the more you are exposed to, involved in, and talk with others and can pick up enough "background noise" to understand more of the big picture [without explictly asking what the big picture is]. I would say after about 2-3 years you get a good intuitive understanding of your job and role, but I assume that runway depends on various factors that vary by individual.

[rcd2]

> I'll do this many times throughout my day if I don't already know the answer. If you are feeling afraid to feel "dumb", I don't know exactly how to force it, but you need to have a moment where you accept the fact you will not know things and will have to ask questions to get the answers you need. It becomes easy to ask questions once this moment happens.

I need to staple this (or maybe the whole answer) to my wall and read it many times a day. Thanks :)

[loa_in_]

I have come to the conclusion that you accidentally described all the reasons why, and how you actually never did see the big picture and how to busy oneself enough to stop looking for one.