What I wish was different
This is very much a research position - all the best and worst parts of research are there - you'll get opportunities to work on the cutting edge of research, but at the same time you have to be able to stay on that edge of research - there is a lot of information, nearly overwhelming sometimes. Sadly department policy puts a bit of a stranglehold on pay - it is not terrible, and as a matter of fact quite near REU levels, but there are significantly higher paying jobs.