I know NJ specifically does not count any hours working under a licensed contractor in a management capacity toward the 8000 required hours to sit for the exam.

That is why they require 8000 hours on the job, in that amount of time you can be fairly certain that a person has encountered a variety of jobs, tasks and had the opportunity to glean the required skills from his fellow tradesmen. I know this is not always the case, but I do believe the logic is sound and think that it works more times than not.

No offense, but wiring one addition - while admirable, does not prove sufficient skills in the field. Plain and simple.