so, i work at a salon and have been here for a while now. when i first was hired, i was new to the industry and desperate for money. my boss had me sign a noncompete, which stated that if i quit or was fired i could not work in another salon within 60 miles of this place for a year after i left. i know, i should not have signed, but i was naive and really needed a job.
fast forward to now. working here has been alright, but i am barely scraping by and have been for a while. because of this, i’m planning to go back to school and figure something else out. i told my boss this over 6 months in advance to try and be kind and not inconvenience her or my clients with scheduling issues.
this week, i hear that she has told the front desk staff that i am not allowed to take any new clients (over 50% of my client base/income) because i am leaving in over 6 months. i had wondered why my schedule was so empty, and this has absolutely left me fuming. i still need to pay my bills before i can go back to school, and this feels like i have to leave to sustain myself but i cannot even go to another salon because of this noncompete. i feel like i am really at a loss with this situation- i have been a good employee and this is just super disrespectful and discouraging to me. am i blowing this out of proportion or is this super foul?