On Dec 23, 2005, at 4:44 PM, VULCAN20 wrote:

> I did not sign it.  or continue employment there

Do you ever regret that decision?

All other things left aside, I think people tend to underestimate the
percentage of one's energy that is taken up by a good technical job
that you enjoy.  Unless you already have a side business (like Dave's
musical group) or a successful history of inventing things, I think
you should just sign the agreement and see how things go.  This is
especially true of recent graduates who don't have much experience
with 'how things work in the real world."  Most companies behave
reasonably regardless of what their lawyers want you to sign.  Most
employee/employer disputes tend to be weighted heavily on the side
of the employee (wait till you see how much trouble it is to fire
your know-nothing jerk of a co-worker without getting your company
sued!)  And how well your side activities are perceived has a lot
more to do with your individual command chain than with the legal
agreements you sign or don't sign.

And when it comes down to it, a job you enjoy is MUCH more valuable
to your peace of mind than being able to work/invent in your free time.

And if I may be so bold:  Having reached middle age, I sometimes wish
I had picked up more hobbies that were not-at-all related to my 
profession.
As I sit around with my hobbies (microcontrollers, electronics, PCBs, 
etc)
after work (software engineering on rather larger systems), it doesn't
feel much like I've stopped working.  I find I feel a certain amount of
envy for those co-workers that just STOP on the weekends and go camping,
boating, skiing, fiddle with their cars; fix their houses, grow gardens,
and so on.  THEY know when they're working and when they're playing!

BillW
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