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If you find yourself wanting a first parrot, I suggest starting small, like a conure. Tons of personality in a small package! And won't set you back a couple grand (well, after a large, high quality cage, toys, food, the bird itself, and well baby vet appointment, you'll be out about a grand) just for the bird. They are like little macaws. And they can't take off your finger if they have a bad day.
And you have to think to the future. Are you going to college? Who is going to take care of the parrot while you are away? I was personally lucky enough to have parents who adored my Screechy Peachy just as much as I do during those years (Dad even developed through lots of trial and error a delicious, healthy birdie bread recipe that she loves as a treat!).
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It is very cool being that close to such a magnificent animal. I love those birds but they will definitely outlive you. What happens then? You become their mate and they mate for life. I've known breeding pairs that were 95 years old.
This facility in Costa Rica rescues birds that have been pets, kept in hotels, etc. They sometimes have huge emotional problems.
They try to breed them and release juveniles once they have found a mate. It takes many years of effort to rehabilitate them. There was a bald one except for its head - it constantly plucked every feather it could reach. Another had been kept as a pet in a cage next to a Hyacinth Macaw which bit its top beak off. It's mate had to feed it the rest of its life.
IMO here is where they belong.
