Hmm. My mother was a university lecturer in mathematics and I don't think contacts etc helped at all with my PhD in maths and academia. What did help was the en

Hmm. My mother was a university lecturer in mathematics and I don't think contacts etc helped at all with my PhD in maths and academia. What did help was the enthusiasm she passed in for her subject when I was young and the encouragement she gave me. Our house was full of mathematics books. My sister on the other hand had no interest in mathematics whatsoever!