Not sure how it works where you are but in my country companies had started this trend where they began laying off “overpriced” programmers programmers who’d been hired in the dotcom boom, had remained loyal employees for decades and (here’s the real point) were reaching retirement age. They ‘offer a package’ (early retirement) and then manage out anyone who didn’t take it. Comes to pass that these devs have such deep domain expertise alongside their technical abilities that the majority of them get hired back as consultants at what amounts to a name-your-rate deal. Learn from us. Take the package and go freelance.