I'm currently in a tough situation at my job. My division is being acquired, and while half of my team has been offered positions at the new company, the rest of us, including myself, are being left behind. We've been verbally assured that we will remain employed until February, but nothing is in writing yet. I just applied for a position within my current company that is similar to my role but at a lower grade level. To give you some context, I've been with this company for 8 years, starting as an Analyst I, then moving up to Analyst II, and for the last 2 years, I've held the title of Analyst III. My boss mentioned that I was on track for another promotion to Analyst IV in the next year or two. The job I applied for is an Analyst II position, which means I'd be taking a step back in my career. This would also come with a 10% pay cut, dropping my salary from $100k to $90k. My current manager, who will keep her job post-acquisition, is urging me to withdraw my application, believing that this move would hinder my career progression. I'm concerned about how this demotion would look on my resume, and while I would prefer to find a job that maintains or improves my current status, I'd rather take a step back than face unemployment. I've applied to several other jobs outside the company, but this is the first one that has offered me an interview. I appreciate the remote work setup and the 6 weeks of PTO at my current job, and I'm hesitant to give that up for a hybrid role elsewhere, even if it means keeping my current salary. I'm at a crossroads and would love to hear thoughts on whether I should withdraw my application or if taking the Analyst II position would be a wise choice given the circumstances.