Planning is an unnatural process; it is much more fun to do something. The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.

Go for civil engineering, because civil engineering is the branch of engineering which teaches you the most about managing people. Managing people is a skill which is very, very useful and applies almost regardless of what you do.

How do you know you have won? When the energy is coming the other way and when your people are visibly growing individually and as a group.

People are unlikely to know that they need a product which does not exist and the basis of market research in new and innovative products is limited in this regard.

In order to solve problems, information has to be shared; and not only information, but doubts, fears and questions.

The trouble is that all-encompassing though information technology may be, it will always convey facts and numbers ... what it does not convey is perception, belief and motivation.

Problems can only be solved by the people who have them. You have to try and coax them and love them into seeing ways in which they can help themselves.