 Harrington returned to New Mexico following his graduation, taking a job with the New Mexico Highway Department and later a mining company.While there, Harrington visited a number of archaeological sites, including Alfred V. Kidder's excavations at what is now Pecos National Historical Park near Pecos, New Mexico.Following his sister's death, Harrington returned east, taking a position with an architect in South Bend, Indiana until it dissolved in 1932.