Marielena bencomo’s career change after 50

Marielena Bencomo’s professional life has been anything but boring. Marielena, 64, was born in Venezuela, where she studied computer engineering. She started her career working for the

state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), where she had the opportunity to benefit from a wide range of on-the-job trainings. The company also paid for her to study in the

United States so she could obtain a master’s degree in business administration and a project management certification. “I was exposed to the best training,” she says about her job at PDVSA.

“I got a lot of experience from my work, and we were always a state-of-the-art company.” But things took a turn in 2002 when PDVSA underwent a leadership change that favored those allied

with the government, marking an end to the meritocracy that had characterized the company for many years. After two decades with PDVSA, Marielena decided it was time to leave. She moved to

work on several projects overseas and, over the next 20 years, managed IT projects for various private and public companies doing business in Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala,

and the U.S. In 2006, she relocated to South Florida to live with her grown children, who already had their master’s degrees and were establishing their own careers. Marielena continued to

manage challenging projects, but by 2018, she was ready to retire. She _wasn’t_ ready to stop working entirely, though. “I really like the feeling of work and having a job and being

independent and productive,” she explains. “If I had a lot of money and didn’t need to work, I still would. I feel responsible to share my knowledge, skills, and love with the next

generation.” And so, Marielena says, she decided to search for a different path — one she hoped would lead to a job at a nonprofit organization. A friend recommended that she connect with

AARP for guidance, and that’s how she learned about AARP Foundation’s BACK TO WORK 50+ program through Youth Co-Op, Inc. BACK TO WORK 50+ ​​​​has been doing just what its name says — putting

people over 50 back to work — since 2013. The program connects older jobseekers with community colleges and local nonprofits across the country that provide training, career coaching, and

access to employers. More than 55,000 people have gotten the resources they needed to find a job through BACK TO WORK 50+. “The structure of the training was very helpful,” Marielena says.

“They help you to prepare yourself.” Whether crafting a 30-second “commercial” for herself, participating in mock interviews with her coach, or learning how social media can help or hurt a

job search, “You empower yourself. I love that.” A core element of the BACK TO WORK 50+ training is résumé revision. “The résumé, oh my goodness! My résumé was eight pages long!” Marielena

says. With her coach, she learned to highlight her most valuable skills and identify the ones that could be transferred to a new job. “In 40 years of working, I had a lot of transferable

skills. I didn’t know that, but putting them in my résumé was amazing. It empowers a person. I would absolutely recommend the program to other people.” After completing the BACK TO WORK 50+

program, Marielena took contract jobs while looking for a more permanent position. At the completion of one of those jobs, she returned to her coach for help updating her résumé again.