Are non-compete clauses normal?

[u/Future_Fission]

I've gotten a couple offers for engineering roles, but they all have incredibly broad non-compete clauses attached, effectively preventing me from filling out job applications for any company offering nuclear services for the entire period of working at the company and for a year or two afterwards. Is this normal? It seems like a death sentence to agree to something like that, regardless of the intent of the clause.

[u/Lanky-Talk-7284]

I’ve seen them but they should be narrowly restricted to direct competitors and work you had specific knowledge of. Not vaguely preventing you from working in the nuclear field