Yesterday I endured a 20-minute conversation with my grandmother about how she never thought she'd live to see another Great Depression. With Wall Street facing its largest crisis since the Hoover administration, and the U.S. government making its largest investment in the private sector ever, it's not surprising that a few folks are running around screaming that the sky is falling. 

Just like in politics, a tough economy is local--very local--and I can bet that you, like me, are wondering how to best skate through the economic downturn with your job intact. Spending money may seem counterintuitive, but continuing education is crucial in a down economy. After all, one-trick ponies often find themselves on the sidelines when the race is over (remember the glut of "web developers" a few years back). Training across the software development lifecycle can help you build your own safety net--or launch yourself down a new job path.

Your training dollar will go a lot farther at Software Development Best Practices than at other industry events this fall. Unlike the "Vendor-sponsored" events you may have heard about, SDBP offers you exposure to a full-spectrum of platforms, languages, process and methods. Attending SDBP means you won't be limiting your skills upgrade to one segment of the software development eco-system.

Unlike a "Managemen-level" summit, SDBP offers deep and broad coverage of software development--giving you a global view on the field.  Don't limit yourself to education on a single component of your job, or to courses that just scratch the surface on the tools and processes that could make your indispensable. (Check out SDBP's 140+ sessions here .)

If you’re considering another broad-based development event, know that SDBP is committed to superior conference quality and that past attendees have reported 91% satisfaction with their experience at the event. 

Finally, registering by tomorrow's early bird deadline will stretch those valuable dollars even farther, with discounts up to $400 off. 

So take my grandmother's advice and protect yourself from the coming economic cataclysm.  She'll be ever grateful.