Embedded C Programming

How do I go about becoming an expert embedded C programmer and how do I do it without purchasing all the hardware necessary to test them with?

I am doing this because I want to get a job as an embedded C programmer and makes lots of money and being really respected.

Get one of those ~$14 microcontrollers with free toolchains.

You can get development boards for less than $5 (Texas Instruments' Launchpad boards), so there's no excuse not to get some hardware. Atmel's AVR Studio has a passable built-in emulator, and some console emulators have built-in development/debugging support. Arduinos are a bit more expensive, but there's a fuckton of tutorials for total beginners (also get a clone board, they're a lot cheaper than the name brand ones).

Once you get your basic led-blinking code running, start reading up on communications protocols (I2C, SPI etc.), A/D conversion, motor control, real-time systems and anything else related to embedded systems. Note that you will need a workable knowledge of electronics and electronics design. If you want to be a pure software guy, you have to be an embedded Linux guy, DSP maths expert or something.