I majored in accountancy as an undergrad, earned a MAcc with a concentration in tax at a top program, got my CPA license, and then started work in the international tax practice of a Big 4 firm's Atlanta office, where I've been for a little over a year now.
I thought I'd feel more comfortable in my job at this point. While I know the most basic concepts of international tax, I continue to feel like a moron much more than I assume is normal.
Is feeling this level of ignorance normal for a second-year associate? (Could it be that I'm just bad with managing uncertainty and that I get stressed too easily when I encounter a novel concept?) In none of my reviews so far have I been judged as worse than the average associate with my level of experience, but I don't know whether this means anything (maybe that bar is too low to reveal anything by reference).
What is a reasonably reliable way to judge whether I'm actually ok at my job?
And how do most experienced, competent (at least) international tax professionals acquire the knowledge they need to get their work done? (Is it mostly through experience, or should I be spending more time (than almost none) with the code and regulations?)
Thanks for your input, and feel free to ridicule.