Advice is weird. When a person gives it, I think that they're usually talking about their self. Or at least an idealized version of their self. This may be a little different depending on the age and experience of the person giving it — I'm not sure. I know that when I give advice, it's more about myself.
People also rarely take advice. Or at least my advice, but I suspect that it's the same in most situations, and not just that I give poor advice. :)
In recent years, I've come to be very suspicious of myself. I'm more uncomfortable with dispensing advice. I think it's because I've come to realize that it's frustrating and usually ineffective. But more that that, I also think that I'm in no way qualified to give it. More to the point, it's none of my business. It's also a weird form of an attempt to control others. And since people rarely take advice, it's very easy to claim “I told you so” later, as if everything would have worked out if only they had followed your nuggets of wisdom to a T. Very convenient.
I listened to an episode of This American Life a few weeks ago that talked about advice. I don't remember many of the specifics (I was working while listening), but one fact stood out — advice is more beneficial to the person giving it. It makes them feel good about themselves. The receiver does not experience this benefit.
Perhaps people solicit advice because on a certain level they really want things to change. They want to change their situation, or they want to change themselves. People rarely change, though. Or at least they change very slowly. They repeat the same scenarios over and over. They usually know what they need to do to change things, but they usually do exactly whatever it is they know they shouldn't do.
I know this is true for me. There are certain things I do and ways I behave that I know are bad, unhealthy, or at least not very beneficial. Interestingly, though, I think I hate getting advice. In my late teens and early college, I remember telling my Mom that I wanted to make mistakes. And boy did I make them.
I don't think I ask for advice very often. The last time I did, it was from my Dad. And I actually took it. Guess what? He was right.|||111437748133974797|||Advice
cczernia|||An episode of TAL on advice. Wow, that one would have put me to sleep in about five minutes.Anyway, I think you are right that most people aren't qualified to give advice in a general since. Shrinks don't even give advice.
If anything you can give professional advice such as I could give advice on roleplaying games and tennis, and you could give it on linux and video editing.
But life/relationship/career advice is a stretch as no one really has it. However, when people come up with life/relationship/career problems we can feel obligated to say something. Most people either give advice or say "yeah, that sucks." No sure what is the best responce.