Daniel Connor Walker says that “from day one of that class, I knew that this was what I wanted to do.” In the fall, Connor begins year three of the IEC Apprenticeship Program through IEC Southern Colorado. His comment, however, refers to his first day of the chapter’s 24-hour pre-apprenticeship program.
Connor’s dad was an electrician and taught him simple circuitry at a young age.
“He started that spark for me, and it’s always been something I wanted to do,” Connor explains. “Right out of high school, though, I actually got into the automotive industry. I had a foot in the door through a friend, and I figured there’s a lot of electronics with cars. I ended up doing that for over a decade, and I really enjoyed it, and I kept seeing that I excelled on the electrical side, specifically with troubleshooting. I decided to go for it.”
He did his research, talked to some folks in the trade, weighed union vs. non-union, and came across the IEC Southern Colorado website.
“I read a little bit about what they do and what they offer, and something caught my eye and I felt this is for me,” he recalls. “I’ve always been kind of an independent company kind of guy. I called Savannah (Savannah Smith, chapter apprenticeship coordinator), made an appointment, went down and took my test for enrollment. A couple weeks later, I got an email saying that they offered a pre-apprenticeship program.”
Connor thought this was the perfect way for him to ‘test’ his desire to shift trades. He says being able to attend six four-hour morning classes over two weeks in the same school where he’d be in the full-time program, at a fair cost, had no downside. He says committing to those two weeks was the best decision he ever made.
“Being able to learn from somebody who has been in the trade is so beneficial even if you don’t move on in the trade,” Connor says. “You get lots of hands-on experience with tools and materials and even do some code book navigation. You learn common wiring methods and conduit bending. All of those things being wrapped up into a couple weeks gives you a really good overall idea of what to expect in the full program. They set you up for success on day one of the full four-year program.”
Landing the Right Electrical Job
While IEC Southern Colorado has a Job Board, apprentices are responsible for seeking their own employment. Connor was all over it — understanding the requirements to obtain a journeyman’s license in Colorado and researching local contractors. While in the IEC Southern Colorado pre-apprenticeship program, he applied at Harris Electric Group.
It was a chance meeting with IEC Southern Colorado third-year instructor Lee Tankersley that Connor credits with helping him obtain his job with Harris Electric Group.
“I think it was probably the second to last day we were in the pre-apprenticeship program,” Connor remembers. “One of the other instructors at the school, Lee, had an appointment cancel and he decided to stop by the school and talk with us — see who we were and what we’re about, and kind of what drove us to the program. He and I talked for a few minutes and I knew he was one of the project managers at Harris. When he was getting ready to leave, I asked him if we could talk for a second on the way to his car?”
Connor told him of his interest in working at Harris, his application, an initial call from company owner Andrew Harris saying they’d call to set up an interview, but that he hadn’t heard anything yet about scheduling that interview. Lee told Connor to give him 20 minutes.
“Lee calls me back not long after that and says, ‘hey, can you be here Monday at one o’clock?’,” Connor says. “I told him of course! I went in, did my interview, and they hired me. It was perfect because I hadn’t even started the actual school yet. This was a perfect scenario. You want to be able to start work as soon as you start school. That way everything lines up to get your journeyman’s license.”
Connor says Harris appreciated his experience in the automotive field where he became National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) master certified in gas, diesel, and hybrid and did some pretty difficult electrical work with vehicles.
“They saw that I have mechanical aptitude as well as skills to troubleshoot any form of circuit,” he says. “I’ve worked with low voltage and high voltage, so I think all of those things combined made them feel I’d be a really good fit for the industry. It seems to me that any trade you come into, finding the problem and fixing it so the problem doesn’t occur again is most of the battle. I mean anybody can unscrew a part and screw it back on. It’s figuring out why it failed and preventing it from failing again in the future to the best of your ability is a big deal. I think my diagnostic and troubleshooting skills are what landed me the position.”
And, he’s been working hard to learn all he can and show Harris Electric that they made the right decision in hiring him. Connor says it’s a fairly small company — around 20 employees — and the owner knows all employees, involves them in a variety of jobs, and wants to be sure they’re happy on the job.
“We all kind of work together,” Connor states. “Like Lee says, ‘Harris doesn’t hire ladder watchers.’ The foremen on the job sites are going to be in there working with you and showing you the correct way to do things. This gives everybody the opportunity to learn every aspect of the job. I’ve been working since I was 14, so it’s been a little over 20 years. I’ve been in various industries, but it’s different here. When we’re on a hard job and get it finished, the boss praises us, says that he’s proud of us, and that we did a great job. He says he knew that it was difficult, and asks if there is anything he can do to make our life easier? I mean, it really goes a long way. Being with a small company, especially an independent, non-union company, I think it’s a lot more like a family than a job.”
Moving Along in the IEC Apprenticeship Program
This August, Connor begins year three in the IEC Southern Colorado Apprenticeship Program. Just like with year two, he’ll have one, four-hour class per week and he values that class time greatly. When he first entered two years ago, getting used to having homework again was a bit of an adjustment but he kicked up his time management skills and is better able to handle homework, class time, and job, along with responsibilities of a family and home.
“I chose IEC because non-union independent shops are merit-based, so the harder you work the faster you can excel and that increases your pay,” Connor says. “I know sometimes union schools boast as having the best programs and the best benefits. But I think it’s pretty amazing that I don’t have to pay to go to work.
“Most importantly, IEC really stands out as far as an educational institution with how much they care about their students. You have all the resources you need to succeed. New this year, an online version of the 2026 NEC® codebook is provided for every student.”
Usually this is something apprentices and journeymen alike need to buy every three years due to its importance in daily work. Connor felt it was extremely helpful that this was included with their student enrollment. But his highest praise goes to the quality of instruction received through IEC.
“I can tell that every instructor there truly cares about your education,” he says. “They’ve been working all day, too, and yet they come in and deal with apprentices for four more hours. They do it because they want to make you better and they want to better the future for the industry. Instructors provide you with their contact information, and they’ll do whatever they need to do to help you.”
Electrical: The Right Choice
Connor is glad he decided to follow the path to electrical that he began as a child. He likes the challenge, he likes the variety, and he likes the people that he meets in school and at work.
“I know that every day there’s going to be a new challenge; there’s going to be a new puzzle to solve,” he summarizes. “And I like a puzzle. I’m definitely a problem-solving kind of person, so it keeps me interested, and it keeps me focused because I know every day there is going to be something different. There is never a boring moment in this industry. I know some people say, ‘oh, well I just hang lights all day.’ There are going to be times where you may be doing the same thing all day, but you’re not going to be doing them in the same location or the same way each time. Even then, look for things that you could change to make it go faster the next time, to make it better, to make it look cleaner. There always are things that you can do to improve your work and improve yourself.”