Dr. Michael Davis is a post-doctoral research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He spent nearly seven years completing his Ph.D and is now in law school.  Now he is thinking about using his heavy science and research background with his law degree to join the Navy.

While he grew up the son of a military man, Davis' interest in the military is not just to continue a family legacy but also to create a bed of job security and financial stability.

"I would be lying if I didn't say job security.  There is definitely a hint of job security that comes with being an employee of the United States government and in particular the military."

Davis is not alone.  There are others with advanced degrees who are contemplating military careers to pay off student loans, get unique job experience and, most importantly, try to stave off a slumping economy.

Sharre Brooks has just finished law school and is thinking about signing up for the Judge Advocate General's Corp, which is the military's law firm.

"In a law firm you have to get on a certain track, but in the military I'll get a wide variety of areas in which to practice," she said.  "By the time I'm ready to lateral out, I will have developed an expertise."

But it's not just the wide-ranging hands-on experience she's looking for in the military.

"It's definitely based on stability," said Brooks.

Very few jobs claim to be recession-proof but the military is shaping up to be a very attractive alternative, even for job-seekers with advanced degrees.