I'll admit that, if what someone really needs at the moment is a sympathetic listener, then I'm probably not the guy they want to turn to. It's doesn't come naturally, and it requires a good deal of effort for me to switch gears and listen from start to finish without jumping in at various points to ask for clarification or point something out. I spend my days in an office working with other IT professionals, not hanging out at a coffee shop with friends or watching episodes of Oprah and Dr. Phil. That said, people do often come to me for advice, not about IT junk, but stuff in general. However, at that point it's advice they're looking for.