Harkins began his career in 1996 with Detroit Dynamite of the USISL Premier League.
In 1998, he signed with division rivals the Mid-Michigan Bucks, where he appeared in two matches and recorded one goal.
[2] On January 25, 2004, he signed with newly formed Windsor Border Stars of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
[3] In his debut season with Windsor he helped the club claim the Open Canada Cup.
[5] In 2005, he repeated his success with Windsor by defending their Open Canada Cup title.