Exit Opps From Fixed Income (ABS) Research Analyst Position at Insurance Company?

Hey guys, I am curious about what sort of exit opportunities exist for an entry level fixed income research analyst position at an Insurance Company's Asset Management arm. I will post the job description below.

Analyze securities and asset portfolios consisting of securities backed by consumer assets, mortgages, transportation assets, and corporate debt • Analyze collateral and structures of prospective investments, helping to build robust analytical models • Maintain research files on companies and asset classes within coverage universe, reviewing earnings releases, SEC filings, 3rd party research, Wall Street research and company presentations • Maintain relative value database and analysis • Monitor existing holdings within the portfolio, assisting in developing and maintaining an effective and efficient surveillance system to track the collateral performance of our holdings • Maintain effective dialogue with portfolio managers and other analysts • Assist in performing special investment or reporting projects as needed • Other duties as assigned Marginal Functions: • Assist in client reporting as needed. • Begin to develop a dialogue with rating agencies and sell-side analysts. • Perform other responsibilities as requested.

The asset management arm of this company is fairly small (just under $15bn AUM), around 50 people total and 25 in the office I would be working in, but they are extremely well respected within the firm. Because of this, I believe that I will have significant opportunities to learn and will hit the ground running with real responsibility. However, I am worried about being pigeonholed into ABS investing for the rest of my career. It seems very interesting to me, but I am entry level and I'm not exactly sure what I want to specialize in. Because of the specific nature of this role, I need someone experienced (preferably someone with an FI research background) to answer some questions:

How transferable is the skillset from ABS research into other FI asset classes (HY,IG, etc)?
Would structured finance groups at IB look favorably upon someone with this sort of experience?
If my goal is to eventually be an analyst/PM at a large asset manager or other institutional investor, will this experience be the right stepping stone for me?
What are my exit opps with this sort of role?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.