Finding Work in OSINT

I’m new to this field, but love doing OSINT challenges/work. I’m curious, how does one get paid doing this type of stuff starting out? I would even do stuff for free just for the sake of helping someone out and or to build some experience. Are there any legit avenues for OSINT or is it kind of just freelance work? How do you guys find projects/investigations to do? I went to DEFCON last year and talked to someone who is well known in the