Born in Tallinn,[1] Arike studied at the Estonian University of Life Sciences from 1983 to 1990, graduating as an economist.
[2] In subsequent years, Arike has worked in several positions in public limited companies Medisk and Eesti Raudtee.
In 2005, 2006 and 2007, he completed his duties at Maaväe as a specialist at CIMIC in Kevadtorm.
He has been a national defense teacher at the Tallinn Service School and Jakob Westholm Gymnasium.
From 1999 to 2013, he was a major in the Toompea malev in the Estonian Defence League and was in charge of the Public Relations Department at the Defence League's General office from 2011 to 2015.