Ask HN: Getting into SWE via Open Source and Outreach; Asking for Feedback?

I am an early career SWE. I don't have a computer science or STEM degree, nor do I have big internships on my resume. My previous career was in Data Analytics.

The shotgun approach of applying for jobs seems to be a waste of time. I have instead started focusing on;

Finding tools I care about, ideally open source and building real world projects using these tools. I then blog about this. The process helps me understand the company I would like to work for better, dig through their docs, read their GitHub issues and build a stronger familiarity with their code base. In the blog, i also have to justify why I used that specific tool over other established options (helping me understanding the value proposition of the tool)

I then send an email to the relevant team members whether or not they are hiring to build relations or hopefully get an interview.

While this process feels exhausting, it feels 'enriching', I feel like I am learning a lot and spending far more time writing code than I would if I was just grinding Leetcode. I haven't quite got the outcome I want so I wanted to ask for feedback on my process and ways I could improve what I am doing