DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When I interviewed for my current job, I was told my education and previous jobs positioned me well to advance quickly. That was a year and a half ago, and people who have started with the company after me have already been promoted. A friend in the office told me that is because they are in a different department, where there is much more turnover than the one we are part of.

Even buying into that thinking I feel as if I am beginning to stagnate. I have learned the job as well as it can be learned, and there are few variables in my daily routine to keep it interesting or even vaguely challenging.

When I talk to my parents about how things are going for me, they tell me to be patient and stick with the job for at least a while longer. They remind me of their work experiences and how by not jumping around, they established solid, successful careers. They believe if I move to another company at this point, it will not look good on my resume, and people will be reluctant to hire me. But I believe if I explain why I am willing to leave what looks like a good job on paper but does not live up to its hype, it will not be held against me as much as they think it will.

I am already looking at possibilities, some of which pay at least what I make here, some less, some more. But if I can move upward once I have learned the job well, I think that is more important than the money I make to start.

Do you believe there is anything to be gained staying where I am when I am not growing or gaining further experience? --- NEED TO MOVE ON

DEAR NEED TO MOVE ON: Your parents aren’t wrong in their advice that reasonable longevity is a good way to build a solid track record in your career.

From what you wrote, it sounds like you feel you were misled when you were hired, and if that truly is the case, and you’re able to find something different that will help advance your career and make more use of your education and skills, then it may not be the worst thing in the world to consider a change.

If you do change jobs, though, bear in mind how it’ll look if you jump from the new one to another in less than two or three years. So you might want to choose very carefully where you land next.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: This is my fourth year teaching and the first with our new principal. He is, no pun intended, very old school.

When we came in for our first staff meetings right before school started, he made it clear he expected his professional staff to dress like professionals. For example, jeans are okay, provided they’re neat and not torn. No graphic tees, sweats, hoodies, tank tops, or flip-flops are acceptable. On Fridays, we are being encouraged to wear the school polo with jeans or khakis, but otherwise, no more dress down days so long as students are in the building.

I grew up with teachers dressing casually, and many of my fellow teachers, of all ages, at my current school also feel like we’re being treated like children in not being trusted to wear what we feel comfortable in and how the students are used to us dressing.

Do you agree we, as professionals, should be treated as adults capable of knowing what works best when it comes to relating to our students? --- not for the dress code

DEAR not for the dress code: You may not like hearing this, but I support your principal’s policy of requiring his professional staff to present a professional appearance when on the job.

Taking care and pride in your appearance sends a message to your students that you are not their peer, but their teacher, the adult responsible for their wellbeing, safety, and education during the hours they’re in your classroom.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My grandparents are two of the smartest and wisest people I know. But even they got scammed by a call that used AI to have my actual voice tell them I was being held in a Honduran jail and needed to be bailed out, that I couldn’t reach my parents, and they were my only hope for help.

It was a super smart scam, because I actually did take a week-long trip to Honduras as part of my archeology summer camp program, set up by my school, before meeting my parents for a week with them near where the camp was held.

My parents thought it was a great way to tack on a family vacation so they booked a resort in Copan Ruinas so we could all meet there and fly home together. During the week I was doing my camp, they took a couple of eco tours booked through the resort.

So what it all meant was that there were two or three days where neither my parents nor myself had cell service. So when the scammers called my grandparents, and they heard my voice, they bought into it and wired almost $2000 for my “bail.” My grandparents tried to get my parents and me both several times before sending the money, but we were unreachable, and came back into service to calls and texts from them, but it was too late.

I feel crappy about it, as do my parents, who offered to repay my grandparents, but they said it was their fault, their loss. They reported the scam to all the proper authorities, with a little help from my parents, and let the rest of the family and their friends know what happened, and to be on guard against what they experienced.

Please let your readers know about this scam. The more people who know about this, the better. --- COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE

DEAR COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE: Several years ago, an older friend of mine fell victim to a very similar scam. That time it was her grandson “imprisoned in Mexico.” I don’t now recall all the details of her particular experience, but it sounds like advances in technology make these phone scams so much more believable, and that’s both aggravating and frightening.

Thank you for sharing your grandparents’ story. Hopefully it’ll help make more people aware of a new twist on an old trick.