Do these algorithms have real-life applica- tions?
in the UK is extremely expensive because it is not in the European Union, and there are no preferential prices for Bulgarians, as there were when the UK was in the EU. There are no student loans either. America’s top universities have a lot of money and offer need-based funding. In my case, MIT waived a very large portion of my tuition fee. How do the challenges you are working on now compare to the problems you solved in competitions? R.H.: When I took part in competitions, the problems were similar. But the more life stages I go through — bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and now running a startup — the less often I say to myself, “Ah, this problem is like the last one!” We are always solving problems with some new nuance. Having the mindset and willingness to adapt to new circumstances is extremely important. In our startup, I also have to manage people and decide on who works on which project and which project is given priority during any given week. I have to do everything, and every year I write less and less code, but the important thing is to know how to do it — even if I won’t write it myself.
R.H.: To a degree. For example, you are given a simple city plan with streets and junctions. You are at Junction A, and you need to get to Junction B. What is the fastest way to get from A to B? This is a simplified example, but it provides an idea of how you can get from informatics problems to real-life applications like Google Maps, for example. What drove you in those early days: was it the intellectual challenge, or did you know you wanted to help people even back then? R.H.: It’s always a combination. A very im- portant factor is how difficult and challeng- ing something is, but equally significant is the application of what you are working on. Whenever something is more difficult, you are more motivated and engaged than you would be with a trivial problem. Something that has a better application always motivates you and gives you more meaning. The medals from international olympiads in informatics opened many doors for you, including to some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Why did you choose to study in the United States? R.H.: In recent years, fewer and fewer people in Bulgaria are considering America for their education. Yes, it is far away, but US educa- tion is top-notch, and American universities are the best in the world. Naturally, Oxford, Cambridge, and ETH Zurich are at a very high level and comparable to some extent. Anoth- er big advantage of the United States is the availability of funding. Right now, studying
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