Carl-Frederic Nickell
Communication Expert with a Security Mindset: Rethinking Digitalization.
Education
B.A. Media Management: PR
Military
Former Soldier
Interests
Cybersecurity, AI, DevOps
Languages
German, English
My fascination with technology began early: At age eight, I received my first PC – 133 MHz, 8 MB RAM, and DOS as the operating system. While other kids just played games, I wanted to understand how technology worked under the hood. From Scorched Earth to Command & Conquer to organizing my first LAN party – technology was never just a means to an end, but always a journey of discovery.
This curiosity continues to drive me today. My interest in defense and geopolitical developments has sharpened my security mindset, especially during my time in the German Armed Forces, where the intersection of technology and human decision-making became a central theme in my thinking.
After my military service, my career path led me into communications. With a Bachelor's in Media Management specializing in PR, I started at a Scandinavian communications agency in Hamburg. As a photographer, I found fulfillment in the connection between technical precision and creative expression, as well as reaching people through my work.
Society's digital transformation motivated me to dive deeper – with Google-certified training in Digital Marketing and eventually roles as Online Marketing Agent and later Social Media Manager in the financial sector. In all these roles, I remained the "tech enthusiast" on the team: implementing software, training colleagues, and helping with technical challenges.
The idea of entering the IT world matured in me over time. What was once vague crystallized through developments like artificial intelligence, increasing cyber threats, and geopolitical shifts into a clear goal: I want to combine my communication expertise with technical know-how to not only shape digital transformation but also protect it.
What Sets Me Apart
What particularly distinguishes me is my ability to quickly familiarize myself with complex topics. This skill has been crucial in all my professional positions – from learning new technologies and developing integrated marketing strategies to mastering complex camera equipment. I critically question the status quo and constantly seek optimization potential, always keeping security in mind. My willingness to continuously engage with current developments is deeply rooted in me. Lifelong learning is not just a buzzword for me, but lived practice that drives and fulfills me.
My path to becoming a DevOps Engineer specializing in Cybersecurity is therefore not a departure from my previous career, but its logical evolution.
What I Bring
- • A holistic perspective that goes beyond the purely technical
- • The ability to understand and communicate complex systems
- • A deep understanding of human behavior in digital spaces
- • Analytical precision from data-driven marketing
- • Intrinsic motivation to protect critical infrastructures
My transformation from communication expert to security architect is not complete – it's an ongoing process that I document on this website. Follow my journey and the projects that show how I'm rethinking digitalization.