Knowing some people who are super onto plants, I think you might try to leverage that somehow.

1. Have plant swap days.
2. Start a free cutting with coffee or something one day a month thing.
3. Use meetup to create a plant lovers event.

Keep interviewing and get better at it while keeping your job. If you are a software engineer or manager, FANNG can most likely give you a competitive salary or get you there in a few years (200k - 500k).