Your situation is much like I started out. My first IT job was "in house" for a company with about 25 workstations.
A word to the wise: when you get out in the "real world" it can be a real eye opener. I'm not being condesending. When you do work day in, day out for the same firm on the same network, it gets to the point where you know the system top to bottom.
When I left and went to work at a company that did IT services for multiple clients, it was a real wake-up call. I didn't realize how little I actually knew. I still see things on a daily basis that I haven't seen before. You have to be prepared for that. When doing business for yourself, and charging real money for your services, people expect results. I have found that about 50% of my job is knowing and 50% is knowing how to find out. Plan on subscribing to TechNet and buying a few hundred dollars worth of books. Business cards, letter heads, fax line, fax machine and a supply of "emergency parts". You won't be taken seriously without those things.
That being said, I charge $75/Hr. in northern Michigan. Everybody loves my rates. I'm at least $25/Hr. less than my nearest competitor and $50/Hr. less than others. That's because I operate out of my home and have low overhead. Working for somebody else as a tech in this area pays between $12 and $20 per hour, depending on experience.
Personally, I prefer the inconsistency of working for myself. All the pay and benefits in the world mean nothing if I'm required to punch the same time clock for the next 30 years. But that's just me. Others thrive on that environment. More power to em'. If I want to take a vacation, I take it. If I need a "personal" day to have my car worked on, I do it.
To cover for slow times, I am also registered with a local Technical Services agency that sends me on various jobs for a week at a time (one of which will be Puerto Rico, in February).
The bottom line is, don't make money #1. Make your day to day contentment #1 and adjust your lifestyle to fit.
Good luck,
Brian