A Week of Blocks Remain...

I have set up my own full BTC node.

Now I am curious what I can accomplish with my very own copy of the Blockchain.

I am running Bitcoin Core v0.15.1 (64-bit). I intend to keep the PC running 24/7/365.

Would someone be kind enough to share the general function of the software? Does it simply serve as a pass-through for BTC transactions? Is there any financial reward in BTC for running the node?

Thanks.