ogre_battle
Most cities want it too -- if you don't need to be in the city then its going to lose tax revenue, both in terms of residents, but also things like sales tax from people who work downtown and eat lunch nearby. And the downtown donut shop -- what are they going to do for income now that everyone who used to work there is in the burbs or out of state?
Point is there are a lot of forces trying to to undo that, not just the automotive lobby.
Rip tides pull out, so let them pull you past the break then swim side to side. You shouldn't need more than 15-20 min to get past the worst of it, and can work laterally to inbound waves.
1:2 is amazing engagement.
Have something to show for your time, like you took an online class or something, but it's not a huge surprise. You didn't pop on multiple DUIs and spend 2 years in the slammer.
2 years of non-compete aka 2 years of compensation to not work sounds WONDERFUL. Like, it means you're so good at your job we're willing to pay you to not do jack shit. You musta been working on something so cool that it's worthwhile to have you sit at home then let someone get even a whiff of it. It's the best possible compliment.
There are PLENTY of ways to do productive work -- take a class, work on a certification, work on a side gig, or take a job in a different industry for a spell. Volunteer at the YMCA and do an AWS cert while sleeping in until 10am every morning.
"entry level skills" is also simply untrue -- plenty of non-entry level stuff you can crank away at. Start a Master's degree, or shoot for the high end Cisco certs, etc. etc.
You can contribute to where where you're best at in a ton of different ways. You need to ditch this hustle culture mentality, there are plenty of ways to generate excellence and they don't require full-time, ass-kissing jobs.
The point isn't to lock you down, it's to try to lock you down, and to come off as intimidating or onerous.
In this case, it refers to a large part of the Dungeons & Dragons system, normally kept in books you have to pay for. Wizards of the Coast, who down the D&D IP, decided to "open source" most of the system and a lot of monsters as a way to drive 3rd party engagement. Remove any licensing restrictions, have at it nerds, build a community.
Hasboro has since acquired Wizards (years ago, actually), and has decided to reign in the licensing. Several other games / game systems / publishers are using these open source rules, and it threatens to alter or extinguish that community.
* forces the issue, and demands action from WoTC; fairly common
* keeps the issue front and center, ensures it is visible for the rest of the community, which means they can act accordingly (instead of it quietly happening behind the scenes, followed by targeted Cease and Desists, settlements, etc.)
* only requires a response; Hasboro might be able to buy time, offer an olive branch, etc.
Plus there is little reason to pick a fight -- Paradox is an online publisher and has it's own slew of IPs. Not a fight worth picking, and one that might be expensive, esp. against an established player in a different market and country.
It's okay boss, plenty of us pirate stuff too. You can just admit it.
Outside of big cities, there may not be enough demand, esp. consistent demand, to justify good pay and bennies.
My uncle is a welder, has a lot of specializations including some underwater stuff. No shortage of offers... for 6 weeks of work in nowhere-ville, often requiring you to supply your own transport and housing. 3 months in FL, 6 months in NC, 8 weeks in GA. And they all pay crap.
Dude might have grabbed his crotch on the way out, but he probably made $$$$$ for 20-30 years. Modern hires deal with just as much BS but often for lower pay and less long-term stability.
White collar STEM jobs have historically been very lucrative and most Dev / IT types have had a good incentive to shut up and play ball.