Philosophy and finance might not seem like they have a lot in common, but that was precisely why Annika Seth picked the subjects as her majors.
“My dad’s a business guy, so I was like, OK, I’ll also do finance,” Seth said. “Then I was looking for another type of learning. Because finance is very one side of the brain and technical, I wanted to do something that expanded my brain in another way. Philosophy was perfect for me because it keeps you so grounded in thinking about life and checking in with yourself.”
While finance is Seth’s primary major, she said that studying philosophy pushed her to be inquisitive about what she truly wants out of her life and career.
“I’m going into film finance, and the journey to finding film and the theater and the art side wouldn’t have been possible without philosophy,” Seth said. “It kept challenging me. Am I happy? Do I like this?”
Seth values the framework for life that philosophy has given her. Not only did studying philosophy help her find a career that she is excited about, but it has also put her on a lifelong path of self-discovery.
“My favorite aspect of studying philosophy is finding out about yourself,” Seth said. “It’s a never-ending process, learning about yourself and learning what you love. Knowing yourself is never-ending. Philosophy is the most important thing, honestly, because without philosophy, you can’t know who you are.”
Seth said that a class she took while studying abroad in London, England with one of her favorite professors, Francisco Gallegos, was instrumental in her journey to understanding herself.
“I took a philosophy of happiness class over the summer while abroad,” Seth said. “Doing that class while going abroad was so awesome, because it felt like I was taking this entire summer to myself, exploring the world and finding out about myself and my happiness from doing the assignments for the class.”
While philosophy fosters “never-ending” learning, her time of learning it at Wake Forest is about to come to a close. While Seth feels that she still has a lot left to learn — such as balancing existentialism with the urgency of the present — she reflects on the most powerful things that she learned from the major. Seth said she will carry many lessons with her for the rest of her life.
“I would say the most significant thing I learned is that philosophy is step one,” she said. “Before I react to something, before I make a decision on something — even just small things — I think about it from all its angles and in all its context, which is a skill that I really value now that I have taken philosophy.”
Seth plans to pursue film finance after graduation.
“I’m going to Los Angeles and applying to all the movie studios,” Seth said. “Hopefully I get something in a studio that would be on the side of finance, but I’d like to become a producer and make movies.”
Seth is excited for everything that post-graduation holds for her. Philosophy has given her the tools to build a life that she’s proud of.
“I’m really excited to go on a journey to find out what I feel is my chosen purpose,” Seth said. “Because I don’t believe in destiny, but I do believe in choosing that. I have a good inkling that I’m starting on the right path.”
