Following great uncertainty, four years ago, I changed from law to engeering. I haven't regretted it since- even though the pay gap between lawyers and Engineers is laughably obvious.

Anyway, I'm just burrowing my way through a sparse exam timetable at the moment and I've been thinking about what I shoudl do for my dissertation next year. Or, thesis, as the university like to call it. Ok, so it's for an MEng but still, dissertation sounds less frightening. It's a relatively important choice as I'm currently toying with the idea of a PhD. However, my heart is in one camp and my head in two others.. All to do with the rather blurred and suspicious area sitting uncertainly between engineering and architecture.

So, one is a practical choice, sustainable building technology with a view to sustainable mass housing. Probably in the area of mass production, construction times and methods and materials engineering. There's a good PhD offered at Cambridge and one at Strathclyde. Arguably the opposite ends of a slightly prejudiced scale.

The next is building repair and restoration. This is an idea I've been mentally ruminating for a while, seeing how it tastes, feels and sits within my mind. I quite like the idea of preserving beautiful and historically important structures for the future, saving the world one old building at a time. Similarly though, the research in this is more geared towards the mathematical modelling of how restoration works. Which is less mesmerising. At this uni at least..

Lastly, it's taking engineering more towards the artistic side.. sculptural engineering- think Frei Otto, Calatrava, Candela, Heinz Isler. I'd like to explore the potential of space and structure. The possibility of working as a structural artist. Hence a thesis in large span roofs or lightweight structure would be appropriate but it's not really well provided for at this university so I'd be going in relatively blind, with no guide dog.

Decisions.. At least I have the summer to think about this. Next step will be to find a suitable partner to work with.