suggestion

A friend of mine retells me a conversation he had with a professor I had many years ago:

He: She suggested that I should change my studies, and forget about translating!
Me: She did what?!
He: Those were her words. I can't explain how I felt.You know, I'm not the smartest guy on earth, but I'm doing the best I can.
(we're talking about a guy who's actually working as a tranlator in dubbing, so he has a lot of experience in real literary translations).
Me: And what did you tell her? please tell me you said something to change the subject, there was no point in talking to her. Did you mention your (great) job?
He: Yes, but she insisted on talking about how bad I am at translating, and I added some information about other subjects I took.
Me: Of course you gave her reasons to keep her going... next time, and take my advice seriously, don't tell her anything. She's great at what she does (providing material), but she's a lousy professor (no technique implemented), and if there's something you don't need at this moment is her being judgemental and rude.
He: She also said she didn't know how I managed to do my job...
Me: God! Did she say that? Well, basically because you're excellent at your job. In other words, because you've got the brains!
He: I wonder if she has any real experience beyond college.
Me: I know she does. But where and doing what, who knows... She mentioned some of her works...
He: Oh, new subject to talk about next time I see her!