What does this say about the profession?

The Daily Mail has reported on an accountant who lost a £70,000-per-year job and was now reduced to eating one meal a day after applying for 700 jobs without success.

The former financial controller’s contract ended and he assumed he would easily pick up more work, but after applying for more than 100 jobs in two months he contacted CIMA for advice.

Colin Timpson said: “I was told by some employers that I was too experienced and many others just said they couldn’t afford an accountant after all because of the recession.”

What does it say about the employment prospects and ageism in the profession? Is accountancy as reliable a career as it is made out to be?

Do you know of any similar stories or is this an exceptional case? What career advice would you give him?