Christy Pambianchi returned to Cornell last week to deliver a message that challenges conventional thinking about success, work, and purpose in a rapidly evolving global economy.
Speaking as the university’s 42nd Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education, Pambianchi addressed nearly 300 students, alumni, and faculty at Ives Hall and online on April 10. Drawing on more than three decades in human resources leadership—including recent roles at Verizon, Intel, and now Caterpillar—she offered hard-won insights on navigating a career that spans both professional and personal fulfillment.
“Do we work to live or live to work?” she asked. “You think you may know the answer to that, but maybe after I give you these things to think about, you’ll see that these two things aren’t that extricable.”
In conversation with Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff, Pambianchi encouraged students to view their career paths like climbing Mount Everest: full of stops, pivots, and the possibility of new directions. “You think, ‘How do I get to base camp 1?’” she said. “‘OK, now that I’m at base camp 1, do I still want to go higher, or do I want to go and climb a different mountain?’”
Pambianchi noted that with longer life expectancies, most people will work for 50 years or more. That means agility, constant learning, and career reinvention will become essential. “We can’t live in a world where we stop learning at 18,” she said.
She also emphasized the connection between education and life outcomes. “What job you have is the driver of what you make, where your family can live, what access your family has to education or health care,” she said. “It is the juggernaut to the quality of the life that you have.”
Organizations must recognize that people define themselves through work. According to Pambianchi, 70% of individuals say their purpose is tied to their job. Those who find that alignment report better health, greater resilience, and higher job satisfaction.
“Find a way to affiliate with something you love,” she urged.
As she prepares to transition from Intel to her new role as chief human resources officer at Caterpillar, Pambianchi highlighted the urgent need for businesses and governments to prepare for disruption, invest in training, and create pathways from education to employment.
“Every element of the innovations in the world are touched by research or advancements made at Cornell,” she said. “The speed of innovation is exciting, and it’s thrilling to speak about this at Cornell.”
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