In many fields (oddly enough, the ones I know most about tend to need a "professional degree") it is not expected that a new employee know much about the tasks at hand. The modern notion is that if you are trained in the general field, they'll be able to teach you. To an extent, there's truth in this—learning on the job is several times faster than any other way. But this is not to say the companies wouldn't prefer having new hires able to just get to work. I've had a number of architects and landscape architects tell me that they really love students from Cal Poly, (in San Lous Obispo, not "Cal Tech") because they have been taught ho to do the work, as opposed to students from more acclaimed architecture schools, which are often clueless about how to proceed.
But yeah, as basically a former machine shop owner, it's much nicer to give someone a drawing and just let them attack it. That said, as long as your desire to work shows, and you are willing to follow suggestions, etc.—I'm sure you'll be valued. Never be afraid to say you're not sure how to do something!
