Non-traditional ER Exit Opps

This might seem extremely unusual, but for arguments sake just allow yourselves to accept the following.....

I recently started a job in ER...this is my first job out of college and prior to it I was interning in a more traditional ER role..

At my internship I did some very basic DCF modeling as well as did some writing....however, at my new job, there is no real modeling being done....analysts cover a lot of stocks and make projections for major ratios rather than build models.....there is also standard report writing involved...

I figure, if nothing else, I'll gain a lot of research skills and learn a lot about the industries and companies that I cover....I'll certainly learn a lot in that regard, however, does this sort of role preclude me from really furthering my career in purely analytical finance roles....I feel like a transition to consulting after this stint would be natural/logical....but what if I want to stay in finance, but get more exposure to number-crunching and model building....should I be practicing models on my own/taking some external courses just to stay sharp?

I also know that there are past employees from this company that have transitioned to more traditional ER sell-side shops so I guess that reaching out to them would also be quite beneficial...

Thanks!