Messed up my PhD. Hope for academia lost. Not attractive for industry. Hoping for some advice My civil engineering PhD got extended to 5 years due to my lack of commitment during the early years and lack of interest in my research area on part of my advisor. 

I feel that I made a mistake by joining under the advisor in spite of having good profile in masters degree. Though I was initially interested in the research topic, I lost interest in it as it became a solo journey right from the start. My advisor's interest area do not align with my PhD thesis. I believe he had to work in the field because he was part of a grant. My lab colleagues work in different research area in alignment with my advisor's expertise.

Now, I am stuck with a PhD degree that couldn't get any rigorous due to personal limitation. I obviously can't conceive, execute complex research ideas absolutely independently. Also, my advisor did not push all my manuscripts for publication till date. I have only published 2 papers in the 5 years of PhD.

Now I am applying for postdoc positions, and I am receiving no suggestions from my advisor. He has no contact on my research area. I am getting no response from my applications. My defense is due in December. And I am panicking about not having anywhere to go from here.

I am overqualified for most of the industrial positions and those positions where they need a PhD, my research appears underwhelming.

I really messed up, I don't know what should I do. Academia seems closed. Industry a far fetched dream. I am in the US and I am an international student. Sorry for the rant. I really can use an advise. Is it possible to come back from such a disastrous profile?
First, you didn't really "mess up your PhD" if you get your diploma at the end, something which seems very likely in your case. The main goal of doing a PhD is to get a PhD diploma, so you should evaluate success by this criterion even if it's not everything you had initially hoped for.

What you're going through is a period of low self-esteem/regrets/depression, a very common symptom of finishing a PhD (see for instance here). It's normal but be aware that currently you are not completely rational in your self-evaluation, and don't hesitate to seek professional help if you feel like you need it.


  I really messed up, I don't know what should I do. Academia seems closed. Industry a far fetched dream. I am in the US and I am an international student. Sorry for the rant. I really can use an advise. Is it possible to come back from such a disastrous profile?


These interpretations are the result of your low self-esteem at the moment. For example you will know if academia is closed to you only if you apply for academic jobs. Sure you might not get a position in a prestigious institution, but there's a lot of postdoc opportunities everywhere and if that's what you really want you should definitely apply. A year or two of postdoc in a different place, on a different topic and with different people could completely change your perspective and your academic profile.