[Jeff Higgins]

I've learned from a few folks that I used to work with (also at a large company with its own legal staff) that much depends upon the circumstances of your departure. If they let you go, then it's pretty much unenforcable. Some former employees of my company have won significant lawsuits in the past concerning this. On the other hand, if you quit, it does get a bit murkier. Of course leaving one company to secure a higher paying job at another is the "American way", but if your former employer can "prove" you got the other job based solely upon knowledg gleaned from them, it can get pretty ugly... Sharing proprietary information with the new employer is, of course, a strict no-no, but using general knowledge of the industry learned while at your former employer? They can't stop you. You have the right to advance your career and earn a living based upon your knowledge and experience.