Seeking Structured Credit Job Search/Networking Advice

Hi, 

 I am currently looking for a role in structured credit and seeking job hunt / networking advice.

I graduated in Dec'23 with a bachelors in finance (3.7 gpa) from a non-target. At the time, I did not realize how important it was for me to obtain internships in a field that was related to my career field of interest. In this case, structured credit. I instead focused on summer courses, my honors thesis, and studying for CFA L1 (failed last summer, taking again in Nov.) ... was I an idiot? Feels like it now. 

Background context:  5 years in residential RE on the brokerage side. I hated my work so decided to go back to college (Did not know which area of finance I wanted to go into at the time)

I know structured credit (SC) is a specialized field, and hard to break into without any internships or prior SC experience (so I've been told from professionals who work in the business). I've reached out to professionals on LinkedIn, connecting and engaging with 17 out of 125 so far, and have been able to land a few interviews after applying to over 300 jobs (mainly through Indeed or LinkedIn), but obviously no luck on the interview front or maintaning solid connections with professionals (even after continuous follow-up) 

With that said.....

 Is something wrong with my process? Should I cold email instead of InMail? Pivot my search into another role in fixed-income that has less barrier to entry & make the SC transition later on? Work on SC/FI projects to boost resume? Guidance into the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all