After obtaining his degree he worked as a research assistant at the Museum for German History in East Berlin.
The museum celebrated the nation's history through the Marxist prism, as something driven by class struggle.
Herbst moved on to work for the Berlin Historical Commission, now being transformed under the leadership of Wolfram Fischer.
[1] Since 2001 has worked for the German Resistance Memorial Center in Berlin, currently as the Exhibitions Organiser.
[2] In 2022 he signed a petition at Roskilde Festival for banning the sale of cage-raised chicken in COOP.