If i worked from Jan 1-8 in North Carolina before I moved there on Jan 9 (resident for the rest of 2017), do I have to file a non-resident return for those 8 days????

No.  You are a full-year resident by statute.  All of your income was earned in North Carolina.

Does this mean I file as a full time resident and not a partial resident?

You technically could file a part-year resident, but there's not much point to doing so.  You may not have physically moved your items until January 8, but by beginning your job on January 1 and moving so soon, you in essence established residency January 1.  This is especially so if that was your intention all along.  (No sense making the state returns any more complicated than they need to be).

Thank you!

You're welcome.