soft top vs. fiberglass?

I'm finally serious about buying my own board. However, although I feel fairly certain I'm going to buy a soft top, when I go into the shops I end up leaving uncertain about it. Usually, I go in and the kid working starts talking to me about boards and when I ask about the soft tops, he makes a face and says something about them not being "real" boards. I then smile and explain that I'm rather new to the sport. When I say I've only surfed about a dozen times, they say I'm no longer a beginner. (I know I'm still a beginner, but it sounds good to hear that they don't think so!!) They suggest that I'll regret buying a soft top and will wish later that I bought a different board. Tonight I visited my third shop with the same result. However, the young man helping me showed me some epoxy boards. These boards aren't as expensive or fancy as the fiberglass ones, but are considered "real." As the young man pointed out, the epoxy boards are a great way to start, are very light and are priced well. He almost has me convinced until I remember an e-mail exchange I had with my surfing instructor Bryan. He says that soft tops are the best way to go when buying a first board. Bryan has been surfing for many years, but prefers to use soft tops in Galveston. He claims that they handle well in the small waves in Galveston and survive falls from the rack on the back of his truck. ummm...another good point. I'll definitely need to practice loading and unloading the board from the rack on the top of my Element, and I'm sure I may drop it a few times. And, on top of everything else, the soft top I saw tonight was pretty. While "pretty" shouldn't be a factor when buying a board, I can't help it! This particular board is bright purple and has flowers on both sides. It's 9' -- the perfect size. I think I need that board!