Meet the SensorFu team - Carrie Schoeller
For our latest Team Spotlight, we sat down with Carrie, SensorFu’s Marketing Coordinator, to learn more about her unique career journey and experiences in cybersecurity. Originally from the United States, Carrie landed her first job at 8 years old shoveling snow for the neighbor for 50 cents. Since then, her career path has been anything but conventional. In this interview, she shares how she found her way to SensorFu, reflects on her journey into the industry, and offers her perspective on the changes she has witnessed in cybersecurity over the past few years from a non-technical viewpoint.
What’s your role at the company, and what does a typical day look like for you?
I’m SensorFu’s Marketing Coordinator. My day-to-day work includes creating written content, monitoring and analyzing our social media channels, managing inventory for our promotional material and swag along with supporting the team with a wide range of marketing tasks to help our sales team succeed.
How did you get started in your career, and what led you to this company?
My career path has been anything but traditional. In the US we tend to start work at an early age. I started perhaps a bit earlier than most. At 8 I was shoveling snow for the neighbor for 50 cents a pop. At 10 my brother got me a paper route under his name as I was too young to take it on myself. After that I did everything from being a nanny, cleaning horse stables to daycare worker, reservationist, fast-food and managing a 60 acre campground before moving to Finland at 19. When I moved to Finland, I spent 15 years as a stay-at-home mom raising five children. During this time I got my Bachelors degree in International Business and Administration. In Finland I have done entrepreneurial work like market research for a few startups located both in Finland and in the US, taught English to children ages 3–10 in after-school groups, trained and worked as a nail technician, and sold my own artisan soaps, lotions and jewelry. Eventually I landed a contract working as a hotel, bar and office cleaner for 5 years. I really liked this job and it taught me a lot about how to laugh in any situation. Even jobs that are gross and physically tough can be enjoyable with the right people beside you. When my children grew older, I began focusing more intentionally on building my professional career. I have had several short-term contracts with larger companies as well as with a few startups across the Oulu region. Through those experiences, I realized that the fast-paced and collaborative environment of startups suited me best. I eventually found my way to SensorFu after seeing a LinkedIn post shared through my online network for a Sales Coordinator. After several rounds of interviews, I was excited to be selected for the role. Over the years my role changed and I am now the Marketing Coordinator.
How would you describe SensorFu company culture and how does it differ from other places you’ve worked?
When I applied to SensorFu, I felt that the company had a good product. They had focus and knew how they were going to drive the business, even while still operating in a startup environment. That was a bonus in my book. You don’t tend to see that with a lot of startups. Also, there was, and still is, a genuine sense of excitement and ambition shared by everyone in the company. The entire team is passionate about seeing SensorFu grow and succeed on a global scale, and I think we all strongly believe in both the mission of the company and the value of our product.
What motivated you to get involved in cybersecurity?
Working in cybersecurity wasn’t something I originally planned, and honestly, it felt quite intimidating in the beginning. Still, I wanted the opportunity. It’s important for me to work in a company that is trying to make a positive impact on society. When you work in marketing the company, the product, the people everything has to align with your personal values. If they don’t you are in for a tough ride. At least for me. I get that sense of purpose with SensorFu. I’ve really learned a lot over the past few years.
What’s a project or achievement you’re particularly proud of?
My greatest achievement will always be my family. Professionally, I try to take pride in everything I do, however, one experience that stands out was giving a presentation to more than 200 people about doing business in the U.S. As an American, it was rewarding to share insights with a Finnish audience about some of the cultural nuances and less obvious aspects of doing business in the United States that people may not always recognize or fully understand or understand in a negative way.
What is the one cybersecurity trend or threat that you think more people should be paying attention to right now?
AI. The pro’s and con’s. I think anyone in the cybersecurity field knows this is the next up and upcoming thing to pay attention to.
Where do you see the cybersecurity landscape heading by 2030? Are we winning the race against the “bad actors”?
I think people are actively exploring how AI can enhance cybersecurity capabilities while also considering the new risks and challenges it may introduce. There is a growing recognition that AI has the potential to be both good and bad. As for whether we are “winning the race” against cybercriminals, I don’t really see cybersecurity as a race. To me, it is more a reflection of human nature and intent. There will always be individuals who want to cause harm or do things for personal gain, just as there will always be people committed to protecting others and doing good. The challenge is not about reaching a finish line, but about continuously adapting, improving, and ensuring that those working to protect organizations and communities stay aware and knowledgeable.
What’s your favorite way to “unplug” and recharge after a day of being constantly connected?
It might sound a little cliché, but I’d have to say yoga. It’s become an important way for me to either start or end my day. I’ve been practicing for about 13 years. Outside of that, I also enjoy knitting, painting, and reading.
If you weren’t working in cybersecurity, what would your “dream job” be?
That’s a difficult one. If I could go back with the knowledge I have now, I think I might have trained to become a midwife or perhaps an ER nurse. When I moved to Finland in 1998, my original plan was only to stay for a year before returning to school to study photography. So maybe photography would have been the path I followed when I was younger.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting out in this industry what would it be? When it comes to cybersecurity, I’ll leave the technical advice to the experts working more directly in that area. But from a marketing perspective, I would say it’s important to choose an industry that genuinely interests you, because you’ll constantly be learning and adapting. Marketing personnel need to be aware of new trends in the industry just as the sales team and c-levels do. If you work in content creation or writing, having a real interest in the subject matter makes a huge difference and helps you create more authentic and engaging work.
