Recently received this amazing message from viewer Filipe (pictured):
Dear Brady, Hi.
My name is Filipe (or Philip) and I live in Brazil.
Two years ago aprox, I was working at an Investment Company in São Paulo.
I was very unhappy with my current job. I was working insane hours and doing a job that I didn’t love. I graduated as an engineer and I love Physics and Maths. But I wasn't doing any of that.
Long story short: I saw your videos, particularly Sixty Symbols. They inspired me to change my life around. I decided to try going for a PhD.
Everybody said I could not do it because I was already 3 years in the investment industry and it has been a long time since I had formally studied all the Maths and Physics.
I decided to ignore these people.
I quit my job, spent most of my savings on 30 day trip to England.
I wanted to do a PhD in Physics. I travelled to meet people at the top universities (Cambridge, Oxford, Kings, Imperial, Nottingham...) and talked to everyone I could about my situation.
In Nottingham I talked for hours (on several different days actually) with Prof Roger Bowley. Emailed Prof Martyn and talked with Prof Tony Padilla and with Samantha.
And had a brilliant interview with Professor Philip Moriarty. I explained to him what I want to do. He said that he had just the exact idea and was waiting for the right person.
I received and bunch of offers and I’m starting my PhD 1st of April at University of Nottingham. Philip is going to be my Supervisor.
My whole life is changing. My girlfriend is considering doing a PhD as well in Medicine at Nottingham and my family is planning to move in to England the next year as well.
I would very much like to thank you.
The videos (Numberphile, Periodic Videos, Deep Sky Videos and Sixty Symbols) were the spark I needed to re-ignite the passion.
Hope to see you some time over the next 4 years in Nottingham and get to say Thank You personally.
Yours Faithfully Filipe
(Partly edited for privacy, style, etc, and reproduced with Filipe's permission)
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