What’s a “non-compete agreement?”
That meant that I couldn’t go to work for another company in the same field. Since I had almost 20 years of deep technical knowledge and experience in my field, along with a pretty good reputation as an expert, going to work somewhere else would be mighty difficult.
The company I now work for makes similar products but for the most part sells to a different customer base. I had to relearn a lot of stuff but still draw on my past knowledge.