First Game Made in C++ - Galaxy Protection

This is my beta version of a game I coded in C++. I have been working on it for about 8 weeks. To play this game please do the following:

1. Download the zip.
2. Unzip the folder.
3. Keep all contents in the unzipped folder.
4. Open the folder.
5. Run the exe in the folder.

Here is the link to the file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qbsulesl8qxb55p/GalaxyProtection%20BETA%20V1.zip

Or you can use:
http://goo.gl/kCkYmp

I have been working hard on this game for 8 weeks. There have been many obstacles in creating this game. Such as creating particle effects without killing frame rate, reading in and writing out to a file for high-scores, restarting a game instance an infinite amount of times, detecting collision with objects and lines in a game world, spawning objects in a game instance at random time intervals at random places, creating random paths for objects to follow when they spawn, creating music and putting it into the game instance, creating pop up windows for instructions, high-scores, and a game over condition, and many other obstacles.

Pictures of the game are below:

Learning to Learn.

College life at Neumont University is very different than most schools. It's a college based on teaching it students industry standards. Their high standards lead to very rigorous classes. I have always been a student to put in 110% effort in all that I do. However, this can cause my mind to "burn out" quickly. I felt "burned out" earlier in July after working very hard in my college classes. I was spending 6+ hours every night working in Maya a 3D creation software, 2+ hours working on my C# homework, and trying to find time to learn C++ early, by working on the "Wrestle" assignments given to me by the professor of the class. I became frustrated by all of the workload. While discussing my problems with my peers, I realized what my main problem was. I was putting too much pressure on myself. I realized that I tend to set extremely high goals for myself, which end up hurting me more than helping. I put too much pressure on high grades and impressing others, than actually learning the material. I need a balance of both. So now that is what I am teaching my self to do. I'm focusing on learning. I still want to impress others and receive high grades for my best effort, but learning is priority number one.

After working in Maya for 45+ hours I ended up creating a Ford C/K Pickup 1994 Truck:

Both my teacher of the class Ryan Bown and the head of BSGD Jamie King were impressed with my model, I received an A for my work, but most importantly I learned how to work in Maya. I learned how to create a 3D model from reference images, how to figure out where to start, how to solve n-gon and triangle problems, how to use the least amount of geometry, and much more.

As I continue working in this class I will continue to learn more. We are now starting to learn how to work with textures. On Monday, 8/26/13, We, the class, will start to make a model of our college building. This will include all of the rooms, walls, stairs, furniture, chairs, desks, TV's, projectors, etc. I'm really excited to work on such a big project. We will use all that we have learned to create the building. I can't wait for it.

Currently I'm working on a recipe application in my C# lab called Cook it!, I'm learning C++  early through wrestle assignments and talking to my C++ instructor, Jamie King, and I'm learning how to use Photoshop to create tile-able textures in order to apply them to textures/Materials in Maya. I really look forward to expanding my knowledge.