Completely agree with what yepyoukno said about finding people with issues that match your skill set! Regarding the first line "Find people with real problems you can solve," I was going to add that, while there's less of a "guarantee" that you will see a return from your work, you could fix a problem for someone (or a company) and email them sharing it. If they like it, they might just offer you further work (could also be in the form of an internship).

This isn't an alternative to the more concrete process yepyoukno mentioned- it's just an additional idea. In the age of AI, teams are dramatically scaling down (whether this be ir/rational is a different topic). There is a risk that no one is open to having to working with another developer (and paying them) unless you contribute something truly creative, such as a unique take on a problem they're experiencing (lots of info on the web). Rooting for you!!