I'm in my 20's and a Helpdesk Technician as a few of you know by now.  I just switched positions at work and have a horrible boss now. He is willing to pay for 1 attempt on certification exams (if I bug him enough), but don't think he'll keep a straight face if I ask him/the company to pay admission to an IT Security conference.  Most of these conferences have been pretty pricey at well over $1000 for admission alone. 

Can anyone recommend some good conferences in N. America where admission is actually affordable if paying on your own?  (besides Def Con)

I've been wanting to attend one for quite a while now and see so many conferences popping up now.

Thanks! 

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Here are a few:

Look at Information Security Decisions. Great stuff, excellent keynoters (including Bruce Schneier) and it's free. I'm told by the people who run this event, that although the 2007 info is up on their site, it's not quite ready for prime time and items are due to change. Keep that in mind as you peruse the site:

http://infosecurityconference.techtarget.com/

Another good option is to look out for vendor sponsored events. I went to one put on by Guidance Software and NetWitness. It was a full day of forensics coverage. Of course you have to understand that they will press their products. Nothing is for free. But it was very educational. Companies often have a road show of half-day to full-day events. Keep your eyes open.

Microsoft also does a lot of them. Look for their launch events where you usually get copies of software for free and access to experts. Use them. Sit down and talk to them as much as you can. Microsoft even offers free training if you go to one of their (or partner's) offices. Look through their event site. Punch in your location and up comes all kinds of stuff at:

http://www.microsoft.com/events/AdvSearch.mspx

Hope this helps,
Don

Thanks a lot, guys!  I'll definately have a look at your suggestions.

Just to let ya know, I'm in sunny Edmonton, AB Canada.

Thats a great compilation of links. The SANS one posted by What90 is a really good one. The only thing you need is to register (free account) and fill out their form / application.

Does anybody have information on security events in and around NJ (except Microsoft) for Jun - Aug 07

p0et,

You are correct, but the $500 for a week is in the long term an excellent pay off for future employment and some

The only way I know of cheap attendance of events is to be part of the set up crew, crash on the floor of someone how lives in the area of a Con or know the event organisers. The folks in the States and some parts of Europe have all the luck with the Cons. 

For those of us in the outer reaches, or on a budget have a look at local users groups, eg Windows, Snort, Linux etc. They're free and some great passionate people are there. They may not have the scope of the security cons but they can be just instructive.