Steve Fehr, I know you are probably getting frustrated.
In alot of states you don't even need a license to be a full-blown electrician, just do the home study courses as seen on TV. Those kind of electricians are actually the same guys that build the entire house, from clean&grub site work all the way through to hanging the towel bars.
I say, if having your degree and one year of experience will allow you to sit for the exam, then go out and work for a year, then take the test. Most other states won't allow you that course of action, and most will not reciprocate your license I'm sure, except the right-to-work states.
If you want to get your license to use it to become a contractor, thats kind of a wasted step and time. Here in Oregon contractors are required to have a 'Signing Supervisor' which is an 8-year card, and the test is near impossible to pass due to market saturation. Alot of contractors simply put a signing supervisor on their payroll and pay him $xx to sign the permits, its very commonplace. A few of the guys I work with have their own Supervisor's card and do nothing with it except renew it and in reality they are just glorified journeymen. I'm not in business, I just work in the field, but there is a big division between the office and the field if the company has more than a few employees. My old boss used to come out and wire like greased lightning, then after lunch he headed back to doing paperwork and bids... I guess he was working 80 hours a week and then some, the company only had 8 guys.
Wherever your path leads, just work hard and doors will open. If you go out and work for a contractor for the required time, you will learn alot AND there will be no splitting hairs with the licensing board over your experience.
