The multi-talented digital marketer with a hunger for learning. Meet Rowana.
Like many, Rowana Gatt didn’t have a specific career path in mind when she left school; however, when she found herself stuck in an unfulfilling job, she refused to let her lack of experience hold her back. Her first course with ICE Malta, the Graphic Designer Associate course, kicked off both a new chapter in her career and a new learning journey; three ICE Malta courses later, Rowana is thriving as a Marketing and Communications Executive with Inspire Foundation. This is her story.
Well to be honest, when I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do! I spent a few years working in administration but I wasn’t satisfied. I really didn’t feel like I’d found myself and wanted a change because I dreamed of doing something more creative.
I saw an ad for ICE Malta online and heard about the Graphic Designer Associate course. At this point I still didn’t have a definite career path mapped out but knew it would be a positive change from what I was doing, so I went for it!
I loved it. The educator was lovely and kind and very helpful, and the course finally gave me the chance to use my imagination and get stuck into something more artistic! Most importantly, it taught me the skills to try something new in my career and gave me the confidence to take the leap.
In fact, after the course, I started doing graphic design on a freelance basis and needless to say, it was great to have the opportunity to have more diversity and independence in my work. Finding projects when you’re still a fresh designer can be difficult, but I had the skills to start building a portfolio and gradually I managed to grow my experience, including a design internship at SiGMA.
I realised that as long as I kept learning new industry skills, I really could take control of my career and steer it in whatever direction I wanted. As I was getting more involved in digital media, the Website Designer Associate course seemed like the next obvious step to give my design skills a technical edge.
Once again, I couldn’t fault the learning experience! I found coding quite challenging but it was definitely a great addition to my skillset as a designer, and even more so when I moved towards digital marketing. The better your understanding of what’s going on in digital teams, the easier it is to communicate and strategize with people in your field. Being able to jump into WordPress and understand what’s going on makes me less reliant on others and more effective in executing tasks.
During my internship with SiGMA, I was working part-time at a thrift shop for the Inspire Foundation. One thing led to another, and I ended up landing a full-time role with the Foundation in their marketing department.
This was a whole new challenge for me, combining creative marketing with communication and outreach. I was already familiar with the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing programme and it seemed like the perfect fit to support the next stage of my career, so I knew it was time to enrol once more with ICE Malta!
I think it’s wonderful to be working for an NGO. With every fundraising or awareness campaign you feel like you’re contributing to something hugely important and I couldn’t imagine a more fulfilling way to focus my creative skills.
The digital marketing course at ICE Malta has helped me make the most of my role as Marketing and Donor Relations Executive, moving Inspire Foundation away from traditional marketing models and experimenting with more modern trends online, especially through social media. For example, we use our Instagram to showcase thriftshop fashion and have formed a brand ambassador partnership with a young local influencer. It just goes to show the power of online media in today’s culture.
I’m delighted with where my journey has brought me but I’d love to keep going! I’m definitely considering the postgraduate Digital Marketing Expert course in the future because I’ll never get bored of learning new things. I find it fascinating how quickly digital trends evolve and know that the more skills I acquire, the stronger my career future will be!
I know that feeling of being lost and having no idea what to do. I just want to say that you should never give up in life! Even if you feel like you don’t know your path or aren’t sure where each step will take you, you can always move forward. Never give up on finding out what makes you happy – it’s waiting for you and it’s never too late to pursue it!
“The digital marketing course at ICE Malta has helped me make the most of my role with Inspire Foundation to experiment with more modern marketing trends online, especially through social media.”
ROWANA GATTMarketing/Donor Relations Executive
