Mid/late career decisions - how hard should I fight to keep my job? (cross-post from /r/40something)

I may be looking for others' experiences more than advice. If I can't make this decision, I don't expect a stranger to :).

My position has been eliminated. I have been a top performer in this company for 16 years, in my current field for 12 of those years. I have 60 days to find another job internally. If not, I qualify for a decent severance package. My field is not very big to begin with, and they've changed the role so I'm only interested in 30% of the positions that might become available in it. So for every job that comes up, it's agonizing to decide if I should apply, or wait for a better one, or take my chances changing companies.

I work from home. My kids are at a pretty independent age, but being home helps immeasurably with small crises, and I can relax with them during evenings & weekends because the laundry, shopping etc. are done. So it's daunting to consider an office with a commute, although there's no guarantee I can stay at home with a new internal job either.

I'm sure I would get less PTO with a new company, but I can live with that. Other benefits should be much the same.

I'm proud of my longevity with this company. I really admire people who have been there 30 years. But at the end of the day, is this accomplishment just words on paper? If I stay, and end up changing companies later, it's the waste of a nice severance package. Lately I'm trying to de-emphasize that in my thinking, since it only amounts to being able to retire one year earlier, but I'll feel like a moron if I realize next year that I still need to leave - without the bonus. I'm not thrilled with the direction this field is going in this company, but there are still some sweet, enjoyable jobs out there where I can draw value and satisfaction from my long experience.

I'm 49. I don't retain information like I used to. I'm starting to forget the names of people I worked with 10 years ago. I speak my mind a little too much. My BS meter is on fire. Can I handle a high-level job at a brand new company? I'm so deep in my comfort zone. I'm really good at what I do, but I have a fear that I will feel like a fraud and crash and burn in a new place.

I want to stay in my field but change industries, which looks like a reasonable goal on job boards. Salary is a big unknown, but occasionally I see something equitable on glassdoor. But I've never done this field outside of this company. I don't have formal education in it. I don't know which parts of my work language are specific to my current company.

I'm really at the point where I feel isolated and need to work with live people. But they need to be good people, which is the big draw to my current company. Scores of people who leave this company come back.

I have chronic neck pain and I regularly lie down in the afternoon to manage it. Driving, all day in the office, driving, and then dinner and kids? I know I'm spoiled and that most people do this every day, but do I have the stamina?

Thank you for reading if you made it this far. Does anyone have insight from a similar experience?

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