I'm interested in learning guitar

Acoustic is the way to go, but mind you, it will hurt. The pain will build callouses and make you strong. You need the pain to make the progress that much more special. One recommendation I have is make sure you start out with a decent acoustic guitar. You don't need to spend $2000 on a brand new Taylor starting out, but those $100 First Act guitars are an absolute nightmare to play. They are so much more difficult that a $3-400 guitar that you might get discouraged quickly.

Now, if you want a compromise between the fun of an electric and the practicality and callous-building of an acoustic, get yourself an acoustic/electric guitar with a cutaway.

If you're looking at strictly home use as you're still learning, I recommend the Fender Mustang II. It's a small solid state amp with a headphone jack and lots of built in effects that are fun to play around with, plus it's big enough to gig with a little if you ever decide to do that.

In the BR area, there's plenty of choices. The guys at Zieglers are good. Fret Shack is excellent. I've been using Mark Tuche a lot recently and he's been better on quick turnaround than Zieglers and Guitar Center lately.

His number is 225-923-3237

The Seagull S6 is my favorite bang for the buck acoustic on the market. That being said, in regard to acoustic vs. electric, when I taught (decades ago), I told my soon to be new students to buy what you want to play most first and foremost. Considering you want to play blues and rock, and considering you already have what sounds like a pretty nice strat, play that because it's a choice tool for blues and rock players to begin with. Electrics are physically easier to play too which is nice for a new player.

For small amps, the Mustang is a great suggestion. I also like the Boss Katana series and the Roland Micro Cubes (same R&D lineage as the Katanas). You can typically get a lot of amp wattage wise for the same $$$ from Line 6 and they're not bad. And be sure to explore the used amp market as well, you can typically get 2x on your $$ investment compared to what you'd spend on new.

My current turn time on a pure set-up for an electric that doesn't involve replacing parts that are not in stock is usually 24 hours, no more than 48. You can Google my forum handle to find out more about me and my shop and read customer reviews.

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I'd like to play blues and rock, and

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Well hell, in that case get ya a 000-28EC (in natural) and throw in a nice LR Baggs Anthem while your at it....

...it's a short scale so less tension, makes it easier to bend and fret, and you can sell it to me after burning out.

Seriously, if you got something already use it until you feel confident enough to develop your own feel for the next one. That's why every one has a gazillion styles to choose from. Trust me one will not be enough.

You dont have to start on accoustic. I started on the same guitar you have now. Get you a fender mustang amp and your good to go.

I'll go the other way of a lot of folks in here. if the music you're going to want to play is mostly electric, then get an electric. Almost any decent amp should have an acoustic setting. Learning everything on acoustic will be killer on the fingers for a beginner and frankly, I always have a little more fun playing electric than acoustic.
And this

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A good thing about electric is you can plug headphones into your amp and not disturb anyone if you are practicing late at night.

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Learning everything on acoustic will be killer on the fingers for a beginner and frankly, I always have a little more fun playing electric than acoustic.

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Yes, but it's necessary to build strength and callouses. Starting on an electric only could greatly retard his progress. Learning on an acoustic is like the Z Fighters training with weighted clothing. When you then switch to an electric, it's like taking those weights off and you get to be amazed at how much better you sound after a short period of time.

Get the electric if you’re more interested in electric guitar.

A metronome may be the most important piece of equipment you can have. I've been playing almost 40 years, I've seen plenty of guitarists with chops, but terrible timing.

Play every day, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Those minutes will add up quick.