Hi, I graduated x year/s with Marketing degree from local uni, with good hons (quite recent). Hope I can help you clarify your concerns.

1) Salary - Firstly, be it Marketing or Finance degree, you still can apply for banks or FMCG (marketing) companies. A good honours would be beneficial, as most of the popular companies really have high number of applicants and tend to sort out good hons graduates. And it is really hard to secure those 'prestige' position for fresh graduates that offers high salary, i.e. Management associate, graduate programs etc, as it always have some sort of online tests/ assessment center etc.

I advise you to just do a quick google search to find management associate programs/ graduate programs, and you can see majority/ the 'good' companies all ask for at least 2nd upper hons. Without good hons, don't worry, still might have chance, but it will come down to having better internship experiences, CCA and stuff etc. But most likely, without good hons, don't expect pay to be high if you do not have other relevant skills. Given 2 fresh graduates, one with good hons, one without, as an employer, you will want someone who already proved that he/she can perform better than peers in similar environment. Of course this is only one of the indicators, but you will have a uphill battle.

All-in-all, salary really depends on the type of company you apply for. Big FMCG companies that are heavily marketing-dependent like P&G or Unilever will pay more for good graduates (be it Marketing or Finance degree). Banks, i.e. DBS, Citi, OCBC, HSBC also will pay more for good graduates (be it Marketing or Finance degree). In the end, all it matters down is that you have to be smart, good interpersonal skills, and good interview skills to secure these positions, as the system may first sorted out those with good hons, then those online tests/ interviews will really root out the no-so-good ones among the good hons grads. It is really competitive.

2) Work-life balance. Depends on your company, your department culture, and also your colleagues. Nothing more I can say about this. Every company have different 'working culture'. And of course, if you want high pay, don't expect 9-5. Those graduate programs will gauge your performance. At the end of 2 years, your new post will be determined by your performance. Hence, you need to know how to manage your own time, and if you can do it well, you will think it is good work-life balance.

3) Career progression. Regarding this, I am from Marketing so I cannot tell you about Finance. For marketing, there is like Brand manager, Product, Online, Digital (social media), Events, Public Relation, Marketing Communication, Market research/ analyst and stuff. Highest is CMO, but thats is really far away. Most companies would also seek for marketing graduates for Sales or Business Development position. Marketing career path is not just FMCG. Technology companies also have marketing position. The pay really varies HEAVILY with the company. 'Low-tier' companies will have less pay because marketing is not so important. But for 'High-tier' companies, marketing position can have high pay as marketing is important for the company to stand out among its competitors.

Next, it is really hard to compare Marketing salary vs Finance salary. If I had to say, Finance industry is where the big fishes are. If you can catch them, you will earn alot, but you need to work really hard. AND not just work, you need to learn alot. Otherwise there will be many things you don't know in the finance industry. Btw, have you even reserach how many % are actually earning really high in the finance industry? Finance industry is really really big and vast.

=== To conclude, I will only say take the course where your interest is. Or if you have a company you want to work in, then take the course which is more relevant and will get you into the company. Good result is important as it is a prove that you can work hard and perform better than peers in similar environment. But good internship experiences and CCA are important too as it shows initiative, leadership, communication skills and willingness to learn.

I know my advice may ended up not as an 'answer' advice that you are looking for. But once you graduated, it is really up to you on how you want to travel your path. And worst still, it does not mean that the job/ company you want to get in, you will surly get in. I can only tell you to start as early as possible to look for job once you are in your final year. Good luck in your studies!