[AnimalMuppet]

Looking for a job with 20 years of experience is not like looking for a job with 2 years experience.

You want to be paid like you have 20 years. The experience should make you worth that. That is, you should be more productive than someone with 2 years of experience.

But not every company understands that. And even, of the companies that do understand, not every one of them needs that. Some just need a junior that they can plug in.

And, of the ones that are looking for someone of your level, most of them understand that this is a hire that is somewhat more important to get right.

The net result is that this is a slower process than it was for you 20 years ago. You need to adjust your expectations. But jobs are still there - they just take longer to find.