David Gerbitz' Advice For Graduates: Purpose

David Gerbitz is the chief operating officer for Pandora Media, where he is responsible for driving growth across core business units including ad monetization, partner and platform operations, services, advertising operations, and information technology.

“Or as a friend likes to call it, an executive of mix tapes,” he says to the College of Liberal Arts class of 2018 at their graduation commencement on May 13, 2018. Gerbitz also graduated from the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts in 1996 with a BA in speech communication. He went on to hold executive roles and leadership positions at Yahoo!, Microsoft, Amazon.com, and now Pandora.

He is a strong believer in taking the “leap of faith” with new jobs, and trusting that each opportunity comes with its own set of risks, failures, and rewards.

“I just had a willingness to step into the unknown in areas I liked and went for the ride. Even though I didn’t know where the path would lead, I said yes, anyway.”

He is also no stranger to the fear that can come with being fresh out of college and not knowing where the next steps will lead. After his own graduation, he was overwhelmed with the weight of his looming “purpose.”

“I remember after graduation, I was a mess. I felt like I was supposed to know exactly what my purpose was, in this world. And frankly, I had no clue. But at that time, I received good advice: to just explore my interests. And I am telling you, that is all you need to do.”

The advice he gives is not only relevant to a room full of college students moments from graduation, but can be applicable to the lives of anyone who has questioned what their purpose in the world might be.

“This is the key: Go towards work that energizes you more than it depletes you. If it energizes you, excellence will follow. I knew what lit me up, what fascinated me. My interest came directly from my student leadership experience, and my degree focus. I became obsessed with leadership, how leaders lead and how teams and organizations achieved or failed. I just pointed myself in that direction.

“The point: Purpose lives in our soul, and it is activated through the experiences that energize us. Have the confidence to explore and grab for what interests you. Meaningful work will follow. And it will pull you towards your purpose.”

Gerbitz assures CLA's class of 2018 that their educations are giving them a leg up in today’s working world.

“Have confidence. The workforce is changing, and it is trending towards the very capabilities you have developed here. The future is tipping to the right brainers: the creators, meaning-makers, empathizers, the big-picture capabilities of our new, more conceptual age. No matter what your profession, these liberal arts capabilities--empathy, self-awareness, synthesis, problem solving, imagination, leadership--these are the skills that employers value. This is what differentiates you in your career. Have confidence in your education. It is absolutely in alignment with the future.”