That makes sense to a point, but it's still scary to have that sort of thing hanging over you. This will sound silly, but just thinking about this stuff has my

That makes sense to a point, but it's still scary to have that sort of thing hanging over you. This will sound silly, but just thinking about this stuff has my stomach in knots right now - I actually feel physically ill. After posting this, I found a post on answers.onstartups[1], written by Joel Spolsky, which outlined the reasons why employers make you sign this sort of thing. I understand the reasons he gave, but it also makes me realize that this is just the way the world works for our profession, and I feel trapped and scared by it. I know I'm never going to make anything in my spare time that amounts to anything, but I still like the idea of throwing stuff (pet projects) at the wall (the internet) to see what sticks (gains me notoriety and/or profit). I get the feeling that it's in my own best interest to just keep my toys to myself, keep my head down, and pound out line of business apps for $50k a year (or the post-inflation equivalent of it) for the rest of my life. I feel dead inside. [1] http://answers.onstartups.com/q/19422/14789 http://answers.onstartups.com/q/19422/14789