So, being someone in the market to hire someone with Data Mining and AI skills, this: " i feel like there's not much it shows beyond commitment and a focused interes" is very valuable. Obviously there are other ways that may be cheaper, but this is not a bad way.

The other things I look for are evidence of raw smarts and a track record of accomplishment, CS fundamentals, and, of course, personality. (Also, prefer someone with a poor understanding of Football so that they don't upset me in the fantasy league.)