Fly.jr: L3 do not have any direct influence over airline placement. They may or maybe not these days say they have influence. They don’t. Airline recruiters are in general looking for a well rounded individual with possibly some extra life experience which lends itself to the modular route. As a former airline recruiter I got fed up with the endless “well, I left school then I went to L3 ( or whoever) and then I became a pilot”. The elephant in the room being how exactly did you find 100 grand for the funding? There was also no evidence of extra skill or knowledge overall from the graduates of the big schools. Their only selling point appeared to be ‘influence’, now no more. I must stress that many of the graduates were extremely able and talented but overall no more or less so than any other demographic.
My advice is apart from the oft repeated ‘go modular’. Do something interesting and different. A university degree perhaps? Find a job outside aviation. Possibly charity work. Stay fit through sport involvement. Read the papers and understand the business and political landscape. Do some research into the airline industry. What engines do Rolls Royce make? Where are the Airbus wings made? What fast jets do the RAF fly? Read the flying mags. Stay engaged. Be broad minded. Wherever you do your training, make sure that you enjoy it. Prepare for the flights / ground school. Good luck.