My first exchange is our local exchange. I got my $30 worth of Bitcoin that time from a faucet, and I need to find a way to exchange it for our local money.
An online friend introduced me to this local exchange. I really didn't want to sign up because I didn't want to do a KYC verification, but after he mentioned that there is a reward for every signup and I can also pay for bills for using their platform, I proceeded to sign up and until now I still enjoy the many perks and features.
Because of this local exchange, I learned to trade and trust other exchanges.