Describe a time when you changed an important opinion

I'd like to talk about how I changed my mind about university, or more precisely about the idea that it's the only respectable path after high school. For most of my life I simply took that for granted. I grew up in Buon Ma Thuot in a family where both parents are teachers, and the message at home and at school was the same: study hard, get into a good university, and everything else follows. Vocational college was where you went if you failed. I believed that so firmly that when my younger brother Hieu announced three years ago that he wanted to train as a car mechanic instead of sitting the entrance exam, I took my parents' side. I actually told him, 'You're throwing your future away,' which I'm not proud of. What changed my opinion was simply watching what happened next. Hieu did a two-year course and was offered a job at a garage before he'd even graduated. Meanwhile I finished a four-year degree and spent seven months sending out applications. My starting salary was eight million dong a month. His, by then, was fourteen. More importantly, he loves what he does. He comes home filthy and cheerful, whereas a lot of my former classmates are in jobs unrelated to what they studied. I still think university is right for many people, but I no longer see it as a measure of someone's worth or intelligence. Admitting that I'd been a snob was uncomfortable. I did apologise to Hieu eventually, and he said he'd forgive me as long as I let him service my motorbike at full price.