[vdoma]

On a related note, is it okay to pick up skills related to your side project at work? For example, if my side project is building a application in Clojure, is it okay to learn about Clojure at work? Of course, not at the expense of getting actual work work done, but there's always time between builds, etc. So instead of playing Foosball or surfing the internet, can one actually do something more productive, even though it's unrelated to the current work you are doing?

[artlogic]

You have to be careful about things like this. While Foosball and learning Clojure are both not work related, one looks a lot more like work. It's a lot easier to forget where you are and program something cool in Clojure for 2 hours than it is to accidentally play Foosball for 2 hours. Other than that - your breaks are your business (in most states).

[pw0ncakes]

IANAL, but I think there's pretty strong precedent that the employer can't assume ownership over any non-proprietary information you learn (languages, design patterns) at work.

Of course, we live in a proto-fascist state where legal combat is often won by those with the most money, so it'd be dangerous to assume that past sane decisions will carry into the future.

[yters]

I don't think companies can own knowledge, mainly because it is physically impossible. Once they figure out how to remove knowledge from the mind, then maybe they can.