Half of our fridge door is covered in marketing leaflets that Ingrid has been receiving from universities. They all want her to study Industrial Engineering and Management. That’s a programme combining business and economics (which, together with law, has been the focus of Ingrid’s high school or gymnasium studies) with engineering. There’s a looming shortage of engineering graduates in Sweden in the coming decades, so I guess schools are now trying to push suitable students from other areas towards engineering.

The first few were flattering – commenting on her excellent results on the general university admission test – but didn’t affect her more than that. But as they kept piling up, she started vacillating. What if they’re right? What if that would be a good move? Looking back, though, the only STEM subject that she’s enjoyed at school is maths. Chemistry, physics, technology – mostly “eeuw, I really don’t want more of that”. Law, business, psychology, philosophy – “yes please”.

She’s now applying for a paid trainee programme for business students considering engineering, because why not, but I’d be surprised if her future lay in engineering.

(Actual university studies are two years off for her, because she’ll be doing 15 months of military service starting next March. The trainee programme would be a time-filler for this autumn.)