I know it's tough, but do your best to ignore those comments and plow ahead, remembering that comments like that say a lot about the person making them and nothing at all about you.

One of the benefits of having a very curly beard like yours is that it fills out and gets bushy quickly but that comes at the expense of neatness. With more length it will start to lay better and that fullness will make a lot of people jealous, so hang in there. In the meantime if you're feeling like it needs some tidying up, try putting in a neckline about 1 finger-width above your Adam's apple. Once your beard starts to lengthen you can drop that down and eventually get rid of it altogether but for now it may help show people that your beard's a very deliberate choice on your part.

Cheers!
Tom


Some helpful links:
Library Central of Beard Growing


Taming the Wild Mustache
Tips for eating and drinking with a big mustache

Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ~ W. Somerset Maugham
A jerk with a beard is just a bearded jerk, but a bearded gentleman is awesomeness personified. ~ Triibeard