I See Kent Leaning Heavily On His Sick Days

At the end of his first Superman Beyond arc, J.T. Krul had "Kal Kent" get a job as a fireman. Off hand, this doesn't seem like a bad idea. Superman saves lives, so do firemen. Certainly Superman's powers, employed covertly could prove useful in containing fires or saving lives.

But I'm not sure it's a good idea. One advantage of Kent being a reporter is it provides a way for Superman to become aware of problems that need fixing (including some that Superman can't necessarily solve himself, but perhaps Clark can, by making the public aware of them). There is a possibility of this as a fireman, too, since fires start for all sorts of reasons. Some are accidental, some purposeful, some malicious, some innocent. With his senses and experience, Kal could probably expose a lot of insurance scams, protection rackets trying to scare people, or, if we want to go big (and mystical), someone setting fires in a specific pattern as a way of trying to unleash something. It's certainly still a profession that would expose Superman to things that need his attention. His civilian identity will even remain inspirational, though it might not be as much about inspiring other people to help fix the problems.

However, if Clark has to miss a deadline because Gorilla Grodd has taken control of Titano and is conquering France, well it isn't the end of the world. Yes, Perry White might get sore*, but it's unlikely people will die as a result. If he's a fireman, it seems more likely his presence or absence could cost lives. If he isn't there, are they operating at less than full strength at the next big fire? Sure, if he wraps up whatever he's doing, he can always swing by as Superman to help, but that's possible whether he's a fireman in his secret identity or not.

That sort of issue is up to the writer, as Krul will decide how often being Superman interferes with Kal Kent's life. In story, though, Kent wouldn't have any idea how often that's going to be an issue, so it seems a little risky. Admittedly, if "reporter" was out as an occupation**, I'm not sure what would be a good job for him to have. I do think he should be out in the world interacting with people, and a job which enables him to help people suits him. Firefighter seems to cause more problems than it solves.

* Unless we're operating on the assumption that Perry secretly knows Clark is Superman, like the idea that Gordon knows Wayne is Batman, and they both choose to act like they don't know.

** Though this seems like another place where the freelancer option I've seen people bring up with regards to Nu52 Clark would be a good idea. He can have a secret identity, a home if he needs one, and still interact with and help people.