I absolutely agree. For that reason, I've made non-competes and claims of IP I create on my own time with my own resources one of the first things I ask about.

I absolutely agree. For that reason, I've made non-competes and claims of IP I create on my own time with my own resources one of the first things I ask about. Invariably, the bosses I've had have reassured me that the scope of either would be narrow and only what's necessary to protect the core business interests of the company. Invariably, I've been presented with a thick pile of papers full of absolutely ridiculous claims over IP, restrictions on what I can do on my time and non-competes that would make me unemployable. However, by asking long before ever being offered a job of time it puts me in a much stronger negotiating position when the time comes. Thus far, I've refused every single contract preventing me from working in my field and/or preventing hobby projects related to my work. Unfortunately, that sometimes means leaving promising companies.