Most careers grow by luck.
The right manager, the right introduction, the one person who tells you what they’re really looking for. Everyone else guesses what “ready” means.
Make the path to every career visible.
Three things usually come down to luck: knowing what the next role expects, an honest read of where you stand, and someone who’s done the work. We make them ordinary.
Make the path visible.
Clear expectations for every role, an honest starting point you confirm yourself, and vetted mentors for the exact abilities in your plan.
The most trusted place to grow a career in Africa.
From matric to managing director: anyone can see what’s next and who can help. Organisations fund that growth; mentors are paid for the help they give.
Am I ready for Senior?Guessing
What do they look for?
Where do I stand?
Who could help?
My manager says “keep doing what you’re doing”.Senior Product Designer3 to develop
Clear expectations
An honest starting point
People who’ve done it
From matric to managing director
The same clarity at every rung.
01MatricFirst steps
02First roleGetting good
03ManagerLeading others
04MDSetting direction
How we think about growth
Three levels for every ability.
Mentors help people move through them, and Growth Notes records the progress. Pick a level to see what it means.
Understanding
You grasp the concept and why it matters.
You can say what makes an interface clear, and why it matters to the people using it.
Achievement
You apply it in real situations.
You design clear interfaces in your own work, and the results hold up with real users.
Demonstration
You explain it and help others build it.
You can show your reasoning, review others’ work, and help a teammate get there too.
Part of a bigger goal
Build the bridge that education forgot.
South Africa has done much to widen access to education. What’s missing is the bridge from a qualification to a career. Growth Notes is the platform of The Ordinary Group, which is building that bridge through mentorship.
500M
careers impacted by 2035
The Ordinary Group’s target: big enough that it only works if mentorship scales.