The thing to remember with a parrot is that it may be around for the rest of your life. They are seriously long-lived animals. It's quite a commitment if you aren't positive you want one.
A guy I know bought two dogs because it seemed so 'nice', then he found out how much work it is to have two dogs (and how much it costs), so he ended up giving them away to some lady.
Some people make these decisions much too light and I'm quite happy that the OP takes it serious and is not going on the spur of the moment.
Dogs especially can get very attached to people, if you don't want to make a dog-life-long commitment then please don't get a dog.
