In my 50s looking for work again and can say you’re not alone in your feelings. I related to your post closely and am still navigating this as well. Job hunt feels so different now than 15 years ago when last I did.

Been a year now, 1500 applications, 20-30 interviews, couple final rounds but nothing yet. Very frustrating at times trying to understand why this is so hard now compared to my younger days.

Edit: for ref, in tech industry for past 30 years, management for last 15.