First, welcome to DR1!
The advice you've received is pretty accurate in that it is VERY difficult for an unconnected newcomer to find and keep a job that pays a first-world salary.
Most expats are pensioners, business owners, or people who have cashed out of successful businesses and/or investments. There are relatively few people on this site who are new arrivals and have found DR-based jobs paying solid salaries, particularly on the North Coast.
My advice is to become a snow-bird, meaning plan long visits, while you stay based in your home country. In the meantime, either start looking for a job with a company that has a DR presence, or something you can do online (like writing copy or web-design, SEO, etc.)
Otherwise, it can become quite difficult financially in a very short time.