don't be discouraged. As it gets longer and past the itchy phase, it gets comfortable.

Trim your cheeks/sides down a bit — it looks bad when the sides go outward.

Actually, just once it gets long enough, "shape" the whole thing. Looks better.

I grew my first beard about a week after graduating from BYU over 15 years ago. I've gone back and forth a bit over the years. A good beard is hard to beat though.