PUBLISHED ONNovember 06, 2025 3:32 AMBYYeo Shu HuiParis-based Sharon Au shared about her career woes and whether she has plans to return to Singapore in the latest episode of local actress Jeanette Aw's talk show JA Unscripted released on Nov 2.
The 50-year-old, who took a sabbatical from showbiz in 2005 to pursue a degree in Japan's Waseda University on a Mediacorp scholarship, shared why she didn't return to hosting and acting after returning to the broadcaster in 2011 to serve her bond.
She said: "I would go through a phase where I think I know everything. Back then, I studied law. At that time, I thought my ability to contribute had broadened and I wanted to apply what I learned."
She added that she could have returned to a career she was familiar and comfortable with and earned a salary that was the same as before or even higher. But as she was the top graduate from the university, she had wanted to contribute to the company behind the scenes, even agreeing to take a fresh graduate salary.
Sharon, who graduated with the Bachelor of Liberal Arts, said: "I was very confident at the time and firm in the path I wanted to take. A month after saying that, I regretted it. I checked my bank statement and it was so much less.
"How was I going to live? I would use up everything after spending on my makeup products. That period was really a little rough. But it was impossible to go back."
Sharon started and led Mediacorp's now-defunct fashion portal styleXstyle.com in 2012, and she "endured" for about five to six years before being appointed the publisher of Elle Singapore in 2017.
Jeanette also asked if Sharon missed hosting while she was a part of the senior management.
She responded: "At the time, not at all, I kind of forgot about it. Because the sense of fulfillment as the editor-in-chief and manager was incredibly strong and I finally had a voice.
"As a host or actor, you don't have much to say. We were always passive, not to say we were pitiful, but we were passive. When I could take control and make policy changes, it felt great at the time, like I was applying what I've learned and could finally shape the TV station into the ideal way I wanted it to be."
When asked why she left afterwards, Sharon, who resigned from Mediacorp in 2018, said she faced challenges beyond her control.
She recounted she went for a three-month internship with the fashion magazine in France and observed there was much more freedom in managing the same publication there.
When she hoped to apply similar plans in Singapore, she found it was not possible to do so because of various reasons, which was why she decided to relocate to France.
Sharon worked as an investor director with a private equity firm in Paris from 2018 to 2022, resigning after her home was burglarised that year.
She also believed that the challenge she faced in job-seeking here motivated her bold move to Paris, which paved the way for her to have a more exciting life there now.
She shared: "At the time, I cared a lot about saving face. I couldn't possibly find a job in Singapore, because I didn't know how to go for interviews. I felt I would lose face if I went for interviews."
She had a friend who introduced her to a company then, and she was told the manager had recognised her just by hearing her name.
Sharon recounted: "When my friend said, 'She knows you, she said you are Sharon Au,' I didn't go for the interview. The more she knows me, the more I'm not going for that interview. Because what should I do with my pride?
"I discovered at the time, I'm in deep trouble. I can't find a job in Singapore because I can't get past my own hurdle."
Sharon would still return to Singapore at some point in time, because she feels "at peace" here, but not in the near future, as she believes there is still much for her to explore.
"Every time I return to Singapore for a short period, let's say for a performance, it was an opportunity for me to test water. I would always tell myself, maybe this time, I can stay and work well here. But each time, I would face the same obstacles. And I realised I still can't," she explained.
Sharon will be seen next in local actor Qi Yuwu's directorial debut short film Cendol, which will be premiering at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) on Nov 29.
She plays an award-winning interior designer who returns to Singapore to visit her mother and reminisces about how much she and the city have changed.
[[nid:724911]]
