How did the greatest software developer of all time mastered writing code?

Dennis Ritchie: The Shoulders Steve Jobs Stood On

Dennis Ritchie is best known as the creator of the C programming language, and co-created the UNIX operating system.

So how did Dennis Ritchie, the greatest developer of all time mastered writing software?

He studied science at Harvard University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physics. While a student, Ritchie somehow attended a lecture on how the Univac I worked. The UNIVAC I (Universal Automated Computer I) was the first commercial computer produced in the United States. After that encounter, Ritchie went on to further study how the computer really worked.

Dennis Ritchie lived at a time when computers filled a room. Ritchie knew that smaller computers were being developed, and they did not have easy to use operating systems, so he embarked on a project to build one.

This is how Ritchie viewed programming in general. It was about what could be accomplished. The problems that could be solved, and the effect they’d have on people.

Thus, even the greatest developer of all time even mastered writing software by solving real world problems. By working on projects! So what's stopping you from doing the same?