I'm not sure if you came here for anecdotes, but my very first full time web developer position had a non-compete clause. After 2.5 years, I moved to a new company about 15 miles away for a roughly 20% raise. Some time into this job, I ended up doing some work for a client that had left my previous employer. I reached out to the previous employer because I needed something changed on the server (they still managed hosting) - this tipped them off that I was (gasp) doing work for one of their previous clients. They ended up attempting to sue me and my new employer based on the non-compete! We went to a disposition, but then the lawyers huddled, and the end result was that the non-compete was reduced from 5 Years (!!) to just 1 year, and that we agreed I wouldn't do work on that specific client for the duration. Otherwise, there was no penalty or fallout. I consider it a big dramatic show with no benefit to the previous employer; they stomped their feet and pouted, the end.
Depending on the phrasing of the non-compete, I tend to cross that section out, initial them, and then include a note when I submit them to my employer. Most are fine with that change.
Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to do going forward. If there's a non-compete in an otherwise viable contract, I'm going to strike it, sign, and if it's of real value to them and they still want me, they can pay me to agree to it.
Depending on the phrasing of the non-compete, I tend to cross that section out, initial them, and then include a note when I submit them to my employer. Most are fine with that change.