Suvi Melakoski, KarpaloGroup
“At times I felt frustrated for not being super good at one thing – but working life also needs broad-minded professionals who can connect different perspectives.”
What have you studied and what influenced this choice back in the day?
Back in high school, I thought: “I want to do something with computers.” Nowadays, of course, there are hardly any jobs where computers aren’t needed. I first started in the Industrial Engineering and Management program, but later switched to Information Technology, where I became particularly interested in the interaction between people and technology. In addition to software engineering, I also studied a wide range of subjects such as corporate communications.
How did you end up being in your current position?
Already during my studies, I co-founded a company, which I returned to a few years ago. As the Chief Operating Officer of a creative agency, I can combine all the skills I’ve gained through both studies and previous jobs.
At times, I felt frustrated that I wasn’t “super good” at any one thing. But I’ve since realized that working life also needs people with broad expertise—those who can understand and connect different perspectives.
What is the best thing about your job?
The variety of the days and the diversity of the work. Above all, the skilled people and the team I get to work with. I don’t have to know everything myself, but every day brings an opportunity to learn and understand something new.
Even though I now work in marketing rather than in a tech company, my technical education is useful every single day. In every business, it’s important to understand how technical solutions can support customers, employees, and the company itself. It’s always rewarding to see how a technical background helps in approaching challenges with a problem-solving mindset.
What have been the highlights and key lessons of your career?
One memorable highlight early in my studies was working as an elevator operator at Näsinneula Tower—you can’t get much higher than that in Finland!
Other highlights are, of course, the different awards, such as winning gold this year in the Agency of the Year competition. But the true highlights of my career are the moments whose importance I only realized later. For example, being part—however small—of research or development that once felt like science fiction but has since become an everyday reality, like watching movies or news on a phone.
The turning points and challenging moments have also been invaluable, because those are the times I’ve learned the most. What I remember best are the situations where, together with a team or a colleague, we faced something difficult head-on. Life brings all kinds of challenges—and you always find a way through.
What do you expect from the future?
Working life is going through an interesting transformation with AI. It has already changed—and will continue to change—many ways of working. Still, people are needed for many kinds of thinking and decision-making. Most likely, in just a few years, the workday will look very different from today. But then again, the same has always been true when looking back.
For whom this is a suitable career option?
This field is suitable for anyone curious about the world. Especially if you want your work to have real impact—to create meaningful solutions to global challenges and to improve everyday life for ordinary people—you’ll find many paths in technology to do just that.
What message would you like to send to a young person pondering their career?
At this stage, you don’t need to have a clear vision of what you want to do in your career. Be curious and seize opportunities. Just start somewhere—you don’t yet need to know what you’ll “be when you grow up.” You’ll figure it out along the way. And if you already have a direction in mind, then go for it with confidence.
No one can master everything beforehand. In working life, most things are done in teams, and everyone contributes their own expertise. Together, we are more.