My summer internship at DMB&B was when I started drinking— drinking Pepto Bismol straight out of the bottle. I was sure that job was going to give me an ulcer by September. It seemed like I never did anything right. I really thought I didn’t have what it takes to be in advertising.

I worked for a creative director (CD) we’ll call “Red.” Red was one of those imports from St. Louis who did some iconic beer campaigns. I was in awe, thinking he was the Jedi Master and I his padawan learner.

I “learned” that I sucked. My headlines were too “punny.” I wrote radio that made him want to change the station. And if he found a misspelling, well, it wasn’t pretty. (Jr. copywriters and interns wrote with typewriters back in the Stone Age.)

Everyday my work was criticized. Then I’d sulk away and drown my stomach pains in Pepto. On the last week of my internship, I was asked to work on some Mr. Goodwrench TV by another CD. I pitched a spot that was chosen to present to the client (and eventually produced). I shared the news with Red, who said my script was “predictable.”

I snapped. No, I didn’t attack him… physically. For the first time, I defended my work and showed him it was on strategy. Best of all, everyone laughed when I pitched it. I wasn’t punny. I was funny. There was one week left and didn’t care if I got fired, so I cut loose. But I didn’t get dismissed; instead, Red smiled.

Strange man.

On my last day, Red called me into his office. Wearing that same smile, he said he was proud of me. He spent a whole summer trying to“break me” but he was proud that I didn’t quit. “You need a tough skin (in this business),” he said.

Clients can be harsh. Bosses can be difficult. Whether you’re looking for a job or presenting work, you’re going to hear “no” more than “yes.” The time is now to start building a tolerance for rejection.