The next logical step after obtaining your Night VMC rating is to remove all restrictions on your flying - and by that I mean the ability to go flying when the weather is not so good.  As a VFR private pilot, you have to stay clear of clouds, and you have to have good visibility.  So, if there is full cloud cover at say 1000 feet AGL (Above Ground Level), then your VFR rating isn't going to get you up in the air.

An IFR rating will let you fly in any weather, as long as your aircraft has the appropriate instruments fitted, and is certified for instrument flight.  At a minimum, the instruments you'll need for IFR flight are (in addition to the normal ones), an ADF/NDB, VOR(with GlideSlope),  and ideally DME.  Additional instruments include a second VOR, GPS/GNSS and Autopilot.

Just because you can fly in cloud, doesn't mean it's the smartest thing to do.  As you will learn when you study Meteorology, you don't want to go flying through (or too close to) Cumulonimbus clouds (CB).  These are the thunderstorm clouds, and the turbulence they generate can do serious damage to your aircraft.

More info will be added here soon.