What steps should I take?

Then it depends on whether you are interested in designing landscapes and master planning, or perhaps a career in botanic gardens.

A master’s based on a field change may not guarantee a quick jump either and there’s a loss of technical depth if what you really want to do is studio work (depends on the school whether they really emphasize remedial work for field changers or not). I did notice in working as a city planner, that a lot of people had geography backgrounds and a master’s in planning, which could be another approach although less about design. It could be an alternative if he tried some design test courses and found that’s not his strongest aptitude, but he still wanted to influence what happens through zoning/historic preservation etc.

It’s a broad profession. Your honest response is pretty common, even among students who are graduating (and probably more than a few professionals as well). Depending on where you live, you may have a community college nearby that offers some kind of intro to landscape design course or two, or even a full-blown associate’s degree in landscape design and/or horticulture. Those courses almost certainly won’t transfer to an accredited LA program – which is part of what you would need if becoming a landscape architect is your goal – but at least you will get an idea of whether or not you enjoy the design process without the financial commitment of accredited LA degree tuition.

Long ago a mentor challenged me with the question: Do you want to be holding a trowel for the rest of your career?

So another question for you: do you want to be working with…touching…plants? Or just planning for them, imagining them? Certainly many L.A.s are hands-on. But Horticulturists are all hands-on.

Well let me say: that is what I do. I am a horticulturist who doubled in landscape design. No L.A. Admittedly I have had many lucky breaks and opportunities, but now I do landscape design as a horticulturist: concentrating on the plants, soils, matching planting design to environmental conditions and often a client’s vision. Of course, I spent fifteen years as a horticulturist with grounds maintenance and minor landscape design responsibilities before I jettisoned the grounds maintenance side of things.

I don’t know if any of that is helpful, except to say that going for the landscape architecture degree and accreditation will put you on one path (broad as it is) and may be overkill for you.

If you decide to become an L.A. you will need to do more than a second Bachelors.

No because the education time and expense of becoming a landscape architect is substantial and may take you where you don’t want to go.

The L.A.s on the Forum will disagree, I expect, and can explain why going for that degree will get you what you want.