I'm a software developer by trade. I was once presented with a non-compete agreement that essentially said that I couldn't write software for anybody else for three years after leaving employment. I crossed out the offending clause, initialed the elision, and signed the agreement. I got the job anyway; nobody even turned an eyelash.

Just an anecdote; I suspect it's probably no help to you. Sorry...

"But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain--that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist." --Lysander Spooner, 1867