He was five years from retirement when everything changed
Joshua Tucker had spent nearly 15 years in the Coast Guard, building toward retirement. He was an officer on track for a solid military career and comfortable retirement.
Then, a chemical exposure degraded the vision in his left eye enough to force medical retirement.
His future changed seemingly overnight. No 20-year retirement. No pension. Just disability pay and a sudden, unexpected transition to civilian life at 34 years old with a family to support and no clear path forward.
About 200,000 service members transition to civilian life each year, and 47% say the transition from military service to civilian life is difficult. Of course, most of them generally know when their service is scheduled to end, and spend months or even years thinking about and planning for civilian life. Joshua had far less time, and no idea how or even if his skills could translate into a civilian job. It felt like having his future ripped away.
Joshua’s Military Service
The Dream To Work In Sports
Joshua had always known he wanted to work in sports after the military. The problem was translating 15 years of Coast Guard leadership experience into something sports organizations would value. He’d led teams, managed complex operations, and coordinated at the highest levels of government, but those accomplishments didn’t map cleanly to sports industry job descriptions.
Making things harder, his kids had finally put down roots in Jacksonville after moving around for 15 years. They were playing sports, making friends, and growing attached to their communities. Joshua needed to stay local, which meant he couldn’t cast a wide geographic net for job opportunities the way many transitioning service members do.
He enrolled in an MBA program at the University of Florida, hoping the degree would help. He also started coaching high school football, trying to build connections in the sports world. But he still didn’t have a clear path to breaking into the industry in a meaningful way.
Onward to Opportunity
Before his service ended, some friends who had already finished their service told Joshua about IVMF’s Onward to Opportunity (O2O). They had great experiences earning their HR certifications with the program. When Joshua’s medical retirement was processed in summer 2023, he reached out to the O2O team in Jacksonville.
Despite the short notice, the team got him enrolled in that summer’s cohort. Joshua initially signed up for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification track, going through the full coursework. The program stood out for how realistic the presenters and instructors were about military transition challenges.
The O2O program helped Joshua recalibrate his expectations and understand that if he was going to pivot to the competitive sports industry, he had to be very comfortable with rejection. This mindset shift, combined with the networking opportunities O2O provided, changed everything, ultimately leading him to shift from PMP to a SHRM certification instead.
During the program, a presenter from Fanatics visited the cohort. Demetrius McCray, a military recruiter for Fanatics, gave a brief talk. Joshua had a short conversation with him afterwards, but didn’t think much of it at the time. He knew Fanatics owned NFL Shop and MLB Shop, but he was more interested in working directly for a sports team at the time.
Joshua went back to coaching football and working on his MBA, uncertain about what the future held.
“A lot of folks coming out of the military, you know, we did all these great things. We led all these teams, we learned all these things. But, ultimately, we are not the top shelf candidates that we think of ourselves as. While we do have a lot of experience, it’s not a great one-for-one experience unless we’re entering an industry that exactly complements what we were already doing. There is always some amount of starting over.”
Landing His Dream Job
In fall of 2024, Joshua saw a job posting at Fanatics and reached out to Vanessa Allen, their military recruiter. She set up a conversation to discuss his resume and career goals. When Joshua mentioned the open position in Jacksonville, she said she’d connect him with the recruiter.
The very next day, Joshua had an appointment with Demetrius McCray, who had spoken at O2O. Demetrius thought Joshua’s background, military skills, and personal polish were perfect for the role. He set Joshua up to interview with the hiring team the next day.
A day later, Joshua had a job offer.
Four days from initial contact to dream job, made possible by a brief conversation during an O2O cohort two years earlier. Joshua has worked at Fanatics in Jacksonville since August of 2025, where the uniform of the day features jeans, a T-shirt, and a ballcap.
Even better, Fanatics gives him the flexibility to continue working on his MBA and coaching high school football, something that matters deeply to him. His team made the 2025 playoffs, and he’s building relationships with kids who are learning lessons about teamwork and perseverance that will serve them long after they leave the field.
It's Your Time
Onward to Opportunity (O2O) is a free career training program providing professional certification training and career coaching to transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses. The program offers training pathways in Business Management, Information Technology, and Customer Service Excellence, designed to meet the needs of veteran-friendly employers.
The program combines self-paced online learning with comprehensive career coaching and direct connections to employers committed to hiring military talent. Get started on the first step toward your new career path. Apply to Onward to Opportunity today!