I joined Code3 in January 2026 because I was excited about the programmatic team. Based on my interviews, it sounded like a growing agency with great opportunities and exciting clients. Unfortunately, my experience was the complete opposite, and it was by far the worst agency I've worked at.
The biggest issue was the complete lack of onboarding. On my first day, I was handed accounts that had already gone through four or five different account owners in less than six months because turnover was so high. There was very little documentation, almost nothing saved in shared drives, and very little historical context about campaigns or previous strategic decisions. I was essentially told to take over the accounts and figure everything out on my own.
What made it even more concerning was that every new hire I spoke with had the exact same experience. There wasn't a structured onboarding process—just an expectation that you would somehow piece everything together yourself.
Within my first month, I was assigned to prepare a comprehensive 2025 annual business review for a client, despite having just joined in January 2026. I explained to my manager that I would need help because I wasn't involved in any of the work from the previous year and had very little context. Unfortunately, I received little support.
I spent weeks working 12+ hour days trying to reconstruct an entire year's worth of performance and build a narrative from scattered information. During a client meeting, I was asked why certain decisions had been made in 2025. I honestly explained that I wasn't with the company at the time but would investigate and follow up with the answer. After the meeting, leadership criticized me for saying that instead of providing support or acknowledging the impossible situation I had been put in.
That interaction summed up the culture. Leadership was quick to point out mistakes but rarely stepped in to help solve problems. It often felt like employees were expected to absorb the blame for organizational shortcomings.
The workload was also unsustainable. I regularly worked 12+ hour days and many weekends simply trying to understand my accounts while keeping up with day-to-day responsibilities. There were multiple occasions where I was questioned about why I wasn't using certain platforms, despite nobody ever training me or even mentioning that those platforms were part of our workflow. Discovering critical tools by accident instead of through onboarding became a recurring theme.
The best way I can describe my experience is that it felt like being blindfolded, thrown into the ocean with an anchor tied to your feet, and being expected to find your way back to shore. I left after three months because the constant stress, lack of support, and unrealistic expectations had taken a significant toll on my mental and emotional well-being.
