Non-compete clauses are unenforceable. Unless your prior...

Non-compete clauses are unenforceable. Unless your prior employer pays you to sit out of the job market with a massive golden parachute equivalent to 12 months of earnings, they can't stop you from earning a living. A friend of my wife took her ex employer to court over an non-compete and the court ruled in her favour.

Also, you can take on your former employer's clients. You just can't actively pursue them. So if they just happen to know where you are going next and just happen to call that business and you just happen to answer there isn't much your prior employer can do.