Qualifications
Fortunately, you don't have to go through ten years of school and sacrifice your first born for this gig. If you're legally able to watch R-rated movies without a baby-sitter, then you're already on your way. That's right; most of our eighteen and up Shmoopers already qualify for this gig.
Before you rush to apply however, you'll need to check and make sure you have a high school diploma.
It's okay, we'll wait here.
Found it? Cool.
If you don't have a high school diploma, start studying up because you'll need a GED or high school degree equivalent.
Your next step will be to go to your state or local government offices to apply (and totally get hired―you got this) for the job (source).
Besides being eighteen and having a high school diploma, most states (well, let's go with all to be safe) will require that you have a valid driver's license with a clean record. You're also likely to be required to obtain your commercial driver's license after you get the job. Finally, you may have to take a Department of Civil Service medical exam and drug test.
Highway maintenance workers do a lot of work with a whole bunch of heavy machinery. So, there's definitely some training and machinery-operating certification that goes into become a highway maintenance worker after you're hired on. Fortunately, most training and certification is done on the job―wait for it―while you're getting paid.