I agree. Many companies will sell you your own laptop (or may even give it to you if they like you enough). Just ask. If there is company information, they may request that it be wiped. An alternative would be to just keep the hard drive. If you've wiped it clean and you're satisfied that no personal files exist, if you purchase a new identical drive and image it with the existing drive, there will be no magnetic fingerprints and the company should be satisfied.

If you can "talk the talk", but don't have the experience, you may consider IT management. After all the chuckling dies down, you need to realize that your degree does give you a diversity of thought and does have some value. I, too, graduated in psychology and found my options lacking. After 8 years pulling myself up by my bootstraps in the IT industry, I got tired of it and realized that having an understanding and sympathy for mismanaged IT was an asset. A couple years and an MBA later, I'm very happy.

There is a disconnect between the business world and tech. If you want to make money, you need to bridge the gap. I would recommend (gasp) going back to school. Take some entrepreneurial classes at a nearby college. Network with the professors and students, many of whom have been through the process or intend to. Learn about the VC process and realize that in order to make money, you are going to lose control at some point. Your problem here is primarily a business one and slashdot might not be the best forum for an answer.

Without knowing the specific relationship and obligations you have with the company, I might proffer a suggestion: Offer access to your data as a service for a price. If you are worried about neophytes causing mass chaos on your well-oiled machine, tell them that you can give certain people access, if they pass your certification program. Certification and training (by you) cost them, which may make them back down. Otherwise, it puts more money in your pockets and minimizes the risk of problems. It also may make your job easier in the long run by having them do the heavy lifting instead of you. More money for less work - sounds like a win.