I got into crypto in late 2019 when I met the founder of Life with crypto, Kelly. It was during that time I also started a social network on defense against online scamming.
Part of the fraud cases I researched to write about involved cryptocurrency, which gives me a hint about cryptocurrencies but not enough to rely on until I met Kelly.
She was also a member of my small social network. At one time she reached out to me to appreciate what I was doing. We ended up connecting well and that was where I started learning more about cryptocurrencies from her.
Kelly also had her social network where she posted crypto updates and taught crypto education. She invited me to the platform when I told her I was curious about the technology.
By the way, that platform is Life with Crypto.
At first, I remembered how everything seem confusing and too advanced, but since I was always the curious type, I decided to learn.
Also, Kelly loved my online defense content so I partly joined to share some crypto scams that I was sharing on my network.
Shortly after I started sharing and learning about crypto, Kelly offered to hire me part-time to write for Life with Crypto on the topics related to crypto scamming.
That was how I earned my first crypto. Kelly offered to pay me in cryptocurrencies. Because I was learning about it and needed more knowledge about what I would write about, I accepted and started researching how I could receive crypto in Nigeria.
My First Cryptocurrency
My first crypto was DAI, which is a stable coin backed by the US dollar.
I received 5 DAI for a test. Then 85 more as my first payment, It was fascinating to earn my first crypto. But shortly after receiving it, things got even more complicated for me. I didn’t know how to sell or exchange crypto and had no idea where to find that information.
I ended up spending a lot of hours researching where to sell or exchange cryptocurrencies in Nigeria. (You can avoid spending loads of hours exploring by joining us here on Life with Crypto.)
At that time the Nigerian government had no rule against online exchanges in Nigeria. Unfortunately, now they they don’t allow it.
Still, at the time, finding one was not an easy task.
How I Traded my First Crypto
After painstaking research, I ended up selecting an exchange called Coindirect, which was the only international exchange I could find that did not impede me as a Nigerian.
A few hours later, I realized I did not make the right choice but this was already after I transferred my 85 DAI to the wallet on the exchange.
I was desperate and frustrated at this point for losing my first payment and what must have been my first cryptocurrency. I reached out to Kelly and showed her the disappointing reviews I found about Coindirect from other furious users who were crying out for their money and threatening to sue the South African company.
She was calm about the incident and encouraged me to be patient, but to be honest, I was not completely convinced.
Luckily, I was able to send out the coins back to another wallet after waiting for like forever. I had to send the DAI back to Kelly then she kindly sent me bitcoin instead.
First Experience with Bitcoin
Soon after the narrow escape with Coindirect, I moved newest coins to a Coinbase wallet.
By the way, Coinbase, which is a cryptocurrency exchange itself, restricted me from exchanging with their platform, and the restrictions are still in place for people living in Nigeria. But you can use their platform as a wallet and control your portfolio.
The next challenge was to sell my bitcoins because I badly needed a new phone for my new part-time job.
Finally, after more meticulous research, I was able to sell the bitcoin with Nairaex, which is a Nigerian-based bitcoin exchange.
My Crypto Story
I could remember how exciting it was for me to get into crypto and getting to learn about new technology, but the most exciting thing was expanding my circle and meeting people like Kelly and others who were very friendly on sharing their experience on Life with crypto.
It has helped me a lot, and I owe all of them for the crypto knowledge I received.
If you want to get into crypto, I strongly recommend joining now; It’s one of the few things you will never regret and will surely appreciate.