Arts@work profile — Daniel mostovac

Daniel Mostovac is a teacher of the Humanities, and editor and host of the online careers-based platform. Daniel has a Bachelor of Arts (Ancient History) and a Diploma in Languages (Italian), from the University of Melbourne.

He currently teaches Year 9 Humanities and English students at Salesian College. He also runs a website and podcast called ‘False Summits’.

Read more about Daniel’s career journey below.

What did you study and what inspired you to pursue this path?

I studied a Bachelor of Arts (Ancient History, sub-majoring in Philosophy and Creative Writing) and within that, I did a Diploma in Languages (Italian) at Melbourne University. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do right from the start, but I always thought I’d go into teaching straight after my undergraduate degree. I took a year and did an Honours in Italian Literature, bringing philosophy and mythology into that.

My undergrad was a bit all over the place because I have a lot of interests, so I tried to bring it all together in my Honours to focus on the purpose of storytelling and what we can achieve with stories. And then I did a Masters in Teaching.

What is your current occupation?

I am a teacher at Salesian College, teaching Year 9 Humanities and English. I conceive of myself as having dual careers, though.

I love teaching, but at the same time I run a website and a podcast called False Summits about a range of different questions: ‘How do I find meaningful work, meaningful study?’ ‘How do you deal with being overwhelmed by different possibilities?’ I love delving into that as a space, and so I’d love to keep working on it – sharing resources, education, etc.

What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?

I love teaching and there’s something about it that’s so good – I love learning, so it’s a natural flow on from that. I think when the kids come to me with something they’ve learnt, which may not be related to what we’re talking about. I had a boy come up to me yesterday and share something he is passionate about - which isn’t related to anything we were talking about in class, but I just love seeing that self-motivated learning. And when the students want to tell you something or tell each other something that they’re passionate about – whether it’s something they’ve learnt or personal success. I like when they can share that because sometimes it’s a bit hard for younger people to share; they think people don’t care or it’s not important, but I love when they have that kind of growth and see what they can become.

And the best part of my 'job' as a writer is interviewing people who are courageous, vulnerable and insightful. Learning from them, delving into what makes their life meaningful and gives them the strength to overcome challenges.

Thinking back, what was a highlight of your tertiary study?

One highlight would be the big ideas I studied that came from, let’s say, ancient history or the really deep stories that go so far back (e.g. The Odyssey and Epic of Gilgamesh) and then seeing some of the same issues now. For example, people struggled with questions about mortality and how to live a good life back then, so it’s thrilling to be part of that bigger story. That was a more abstract, intellectual highlight of my education.

More practically, probably having those relationships with mentors. Some of my tutors were really supportive and provided lots of guidance, always finding the time for me to go through concepts and to explore what I could do with my degree.

Were there any co-curricular activities you found particularly valuable?

There are definitely things that stand out, like the Australian Youth Humanities Forum, which was a career fair/ festival of ideas. It got me thinking about what else I could do with the humanities, with an Arts education. Through this, I was a mentor to high school students in years 11 and 12 who came to Melbourne University to see what tutorials would be like. We were the middle ground between them and people who had established careers in the humanities like documentary filmmakers, historians, anthropologists that work in the government, etc. I loved that because it opened my mind to what I could do and I was simultaneously helping other people do the same.

Another thing I did which I loved was volunteering with this group called Pathways, an inter-belief dialogue group. It was all about getting people from different backgrounds together and sharing their stories in school settings. This gave me a little bit of a taste of education, what it’s like to explore topics like cultures and beliefs through education, too.

During my Honours year, I also interned with literary journals and an Italian community newspaper, which was valuable for getting more practical experience and seeing how creative writing (which I’d studied earlier) helped me with that.

How do you think your humanities education has shaped you personally and professionally?

Those texts that discuss ideas about mortality are some of the biggest influences on my personal growth. I studied Greek philosophy and classical mythology within Ancient History. There’s the motif about great heroes reaching the afterlife and realising that some things they strived for and cared for in life, like personal glory, don’t really matter. That gave me pause to reflect.

Aside from that, within Greek philosophy, lecturers really got us thinking about questions of what it means to live a good life, what is knowledge and what is the state for. They always probed our thinking, which I found very refreshing and interactive.

In terms of shaping me professionally, majoring in something like creative writing was very helpful when I later did internships in journalism. Skills in giving feedback and editing came in handy, and I also notice that now in the way I give critique in my work. Just in general, too, being structured and building organisational skills through working on my Honours thesis.

What career advice would you give to current students or recent graduates?

Learning as much as you can about what’s possible with your skills, interests and how you can be of value and service. I used to think ‘Oh if I studied history, I could be a historian or a teacher and that’s it.’ To be able to speak to people who might have used their education in ways that we don’t expect is really enlightening and broadening.

For example, one person I met through an extra-curricular event had a background in anthropology and Spanish and had developed skills, such as connecting with different people, negotiating and understanding cultural perspectives. They’ve applied this in a government role that involves anticipating how people will react to water management. I just never thought that was a possibility and so I encourage people to have the courage to go into different fields that might not necessarily be humanities-related but be confident that you can take those skills across. Meet mentors and people who have done some of these things, get experience like internships and broaden your perspectives.

Finally, what book have you recently read that truly captured your attention?