Have a little experience in patents having over 30 granted in the US (few more outside), been an expert witness in infringement cases, and given a few presentations on patents where I was employed.
Here is the US the patent law changed a number of years ago in 2013 from 1st to invent to 1st to file. Be diligent and careful who/where you discuss the concepts with, and start the filing process early.
In the US your patent becomes public knowledge, this is to foster more development in general, and you are granted specific rights for a specific time frame for making the patent public.
Do your research into prior art as this is the 1st attack on your patent in a infringement case, also do not exclude anyone that contributed, this will void the patent. Same goes for including someone that didn't directly contribute. A large company where I was employed decades ago, many of the managers would include themselves on the patent because it looked good on their personnel file, not realized they just voided the very patent.
Don't expect significant direct income from your patent, larger companies use patents as bartering tools to license usage in exchange for licensed usage of another patent. Smaller companies or individuals don't have much leverage, and it's rare to see them benefit from an infringement. As mentioned many unscrupulous companies will just copy and ignore your patent and go ahead with business as usual, and many countries will impede an infringement case and protect the infringing company. I have a couple patents that are in massive infringement worldwide and informed my prior employer (I'm retired), they decided not to pursue because the cost and length of time involved doesn't make a good ROI business case.
Edit: Forgot to mention that generally when you are employed with company you signed an agreement for employment that the company owns anything you conceive or develop. Thus any patent they are assigned to the company and you are the inventor, but have no real rights since the patent is assigned to the company. This right to everything you conceive or develop has been challenged many times, and often in favor of the individual. Recall the general ruling was that if the IP concept/idea/development was done without any company involvement, outside company facilities, without any company equipment/materials and completely outside any company technology/business area, then the company has no rights to the IP. The company HR uses this "agreement" as a bullying tool into forcing individuals into "thinking" they are 24/7/365 employees, and thus can't do anything outside for their own benefit. If you are a highly creative individual in areas outside your direct employment field consider having your own specialized employment agreement which outlines specific IP ownership and rights. So when you are employed to develop audio amplifiers and you invent cold fusion at home your employer can't claim any rights

If you really want to protect your idea, a Trade Secret is probably better since it's not public disclosed. Recall long ago Tektronix had a Trade Secret on the delay transmission line T type coil which allowed them to have a bandwidth advantage over HP, took HP over a decade to equal the TeK scopes bandwidth due to this and the brilliant Ft doubler amplifier. This wasn't easily understood without the information Tek possessed in the Trade Secret and thus prevented it from being easily duplicated.
Anyway, just a few more things to consider if you decide to protect your idea.
Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.
Best,