Terra-forming isn't possible on any kind of near term scale. Even with imaginary levels of energy, and super futuristic devices, Mars will not be habitable for millenia. I don't think most people understand the energy requirements for many things to do in space. The energy requirements for going anywhere close to light speed is more than the total energy output of our entire species million times over.
However, we do need to learn about how to build and live in hostile environments. We should at the very least try to have a permanent base on mars, but people realistically can't stay there for years unless we devise something ( or live far underground) to protect from radiation.