Without seeing the clause verbatim, I also suspect there is a misreading going on here. Having dealt with noncompete clauses in a previous job, writing one like

Without seeing the clause verbatim, I also suspect there is a misreading going on here. Having dealt with noncompete clauses in a previous job, writing one like what the OP suggests is one of the surest ways to get a judge to find that the clause is unenforceable.