Many non-compete agreements like this are totally unenforceable. I'm not familiar Louisana law, but in general, the more broad the non-compete, the harder it is to enforce.

I am generally familiar with Louisiana non-competes. They are completely enforceable if the meet the standards of LA R.S. 23:291. The employee/prospective employee may agree with his employer to refrain from (1) carrying on or engaging in a business similar to that of the employer and/or (2) from soliciting customers of the employer. The agreement must specify the geographic parishes or municipalities where this will be prohibited, and is only enforceable for two years.

One popular argument people have made against their noncompete agreements is that they are overbroad. But, the statute that allows non-competes itself is pretty broad. If the language of the agreement tracks the two purposes in the statute closely (even if they use many more words), a court will probably uphold it.

The statute also seems to imply these provisions are only enforceable in areas where the employer does business. OPs best bet for this being overbroad is if the geographic restrictions placed are not an area the employer actually does business. For example, if the cell phone repair shop is in New Orleans, and all they do is perform general, non-specialized repairs on all cell phones that come in from the New Orleans area - a restriction in Shreveport is probably overbroad. Conversely, if the shop is the only shop in Louisiana that is authorized to fix some brand of phone, a restriction in Shreveport may not be overbroad.

What I would speculate they are trying to do, is protect themselves from teaching you all about cell phone repair, and then having you go off and start your own shop down the street, or work for the guy down the street.

This is one of the big reasons for employers wanting people to sign non-competes, in addition to losing business to competitors when qualified employees quit, sometimes taking clients with them.

OP if you really feel strongly about this, you should probably consult a lawyer before quitting your job or signing something you're unsure of. I like reading this sub but I certainly hope people are not basing decisions on these answers. Even a decision not to act based on a redditor's advice could cost you the ability to exercise that right later.