“The best investment in my life was studying mathematics,” she says in the podcast, adding that people discouraged her from choosing this field. But today she sees that analytical thinking, working with data, probability, and the ability to solve complex problems open doors to a whole range of fields – from banking to technology to energy.
The interview will also take listeners to CERN, where she gained valuable experience with databases and development during a year-long internship. Despite this, she ultimately decided not to leave her scientific career completely, but to return to the Czech Republic and give priority to the private sector. Today, she works in the field of high-frequency trading, where she encounters algorithms, statistics, and artificial intelligence on a daily basis.
In the podcast, she explains the difference between investing, trading, and algorithmic trading, talks about the psychological demands of the work, and how her professional experience translates into personal investments. “The risk that a person should take is one that will let them sleep peacefully at night. Otherwise, it’s not worth it,” says Zogatová.
The topic will also come up with artificial intelligence and its role in developing business strategies or being included in this year’s Forbes 30 under 30, which according to Zogatová brought mainly new contacts and interesting meetings. There is also the topic of overthinking, which she describes as her biggest “bug and feature”.
“I like to think. I can predict a lot of things and think several steps ahead, but sometimes I need to tell myself that it’s just slowing me down. I think that people from Matfyz and Jaderka often think more than they act,” she says.
The new episode of the podcast Good at the Core shows that mathematics is not just a school subject, but a way of thinking that opens up unexpected career opportunities. And that one of the best investments may not be stocks or real estate, but a quality education.
The podcast V jádru dobrý (Good at the Core) brings together current topics of science and research as well as personalities from the Czech scientific scene. The show is published once a month and is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.