Suspicious-Pilot-302's journey

I recently applied for a job that I felt was a perfect fit for my niche skill set. I work in academia, and I submitted my application just three days after it was posted. My résumé and cover letter were polished and tailored to highlight my qualifications and experience, especially since I currently work for a highly regarded organization in my field. However, after receiving the standard auto-response confirming my application, I noticed that the job posting was removed the very next day. This raised some red flags for me, especially since the auto-response included a name in parentheses next to the job title. I did a quick search and found out that this person has a similar role but works for a different organization. It made me wonder if the position was already earmarked for them, and the posting was just a formality. In academia, it's typical for job postings to remain open for months, often until the new hire is ready to start, so this quick removal felt odd. I'm in my early 50s and have been struggling to get past initial screenings for jobs I know I’m qualified for. It’s incredibly frustrating to think that I might have never had a real chance at this position, especially after investing so much time into my application. I’m also tired of hearing the bright-side perspective on job hunting. People often say that these situations don’t mean anything and that I could still have a shot, but it feels disheartening. It would honestly be easier to know upfront if I had no chance, so I could save myself the effort and emotional investment.